As wonderful as it is, the internet can also be a place full of dangers. We are at such a transitional phase in history, where internet and global connectivity are changing the entire landscape of how we work and live our lives.  Due to lack of good understanding, there are parents who either do not allow their children to go online, and many who let their children use it too freely. Both of these cases are not good. Parents should play a more involved role in the way their children use the internet, and maintain a certain balance. Depriving them completely of the opportunity to access the internet is also not the answer, because the future is the internet. At the same time, children may not know what is right or wrong. Hence, it becomes the parent's’ responsibility to expose them to these things in a balanced way.

Internet can be a dangerous place for kids, and with multiple and easily available devices allowing internet accessibility, such as our smart phones and tablets, keeping track of, and monitoring its use is getting more and more difficult. I am not exaggerating when I use the word ‘dangerous’ here. Cyber crime is a growing issue and is equally threatening. Cyber-bullying is also increasing, where children become victims of online mockery and bullying in chat rooms and social media portals. Such events can leave serious psychological effects in children. Further, ‘cyber-predators’ pose a much more serious threat, where adults lurk around in the net, trying to lure in young kids while pretending to be young boys and girls.

Cyber bullying and other threats can have  a very bad impact on their academics and personal well being.

One of the ways to control how internet is used is by categorizing children into groups of two; kids below thirteen years and above thirteen years. Its best not to let kids below the age of thirteen use social media. A valid user, even in Facebook, requires to be at least the age of thirteen to register. But they register anyway with wrong dates of birth. This puts them at risk as they aren’t mature enough to separate the wrong from the right, and are usually the primary target of these ‘predators.’ And, as far as I am concerned, I feel it's best not to let children below thirteen years of age have their own smartphones. If needed, simple cell phones just for communication can be provided to the children for emergencies. The second group, children over thirteen years, begin being socially active around this age, and want to form their own identity. They are a bit more mature, nevertheless are also vulnerable. Cyber bullying and other threats can have  a very bad impact on their academics and personal well being.

But there are many useful resources on the internet for the young age groups too, such as websites and applications that make learning easy and fun for children. Using illustrations, pictures, and videos have proven to help children learn better. There are sites like ‘Khan Academy’ that help children learn mathematics in such an easy and interesting way. There are many more sites that have contents to help children learn better. But parents need to access the sites first and monitor at times how their kids use them.

If your child is startled or shuts down their devices the moment you enter the room, then understand that something is going on, and you might want to sit down and have a little talk with them. Scolding them may not be the answer here. You need to understand them and be frank, otherwise they will begin to hide further more things in future from you and learn how to better skip your eyes. You will have to sit down with them, and let them know that it is okay to talk to you. You need to inform them of these possible dangers, and how they can avoid it, because restricting complete access from the internet is not possible. But there are products to control the usage of internet, computer or smart phones in the market. These assist in greater parental control, allowing you to limit the use of the computer, set the time for the use of the computer, and block unwanted contents, and many more.

The traditional concept about computer gaming in our society is to some extent quite wrong. Playing games on a computer is usually considered a waste of time, which is not necessarily true. I say this because there are many people who have made brilliant careers in this field. Universities abroad even offer separate courses on them. It is a sport, and like any other sport, you should make sure you never overdo it.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the relationship between the parents and their children. There should always be openness, and communication must always be encouraged. Parents must constantly involve and engage in what their children are doing, be it in school, home, or anywhere else. I always try my best to spend as much time as I can with my children. Whether it's playing games with them, watching television with them, or helping them with their homework and project works. Doing activities together and communicating with them allows you to create a much more intimate level of bond. You can understand your child well, their behaviors and habits well, and if anything seems out of place, or anything is troubling your child, you become the first person they come to.