KidsMatter recently hosted their Cyberparenting 101 program, which aims to help parents keep their kids stay safe online.
Kane County Sheriff’s Office detective Rich Wistocki presented the Cyberparenting 101 program. The online expert gave tips to parents on how to talk to their kids about the dangers of being on the internet.
Wistocki’s Tips to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
“Parents need to understand that they need to have the technology talk with their children. If they go and try to parent their kids like ‘If I’m going to give you this phone and if you do this and you do that you’re going to get this, and you’re going to get that’,” said Wistocki. “If something happens with the kid, is the kid going to go to the parent? No, they won’t they’ll just try to wing on all the experience that they have.”
Wistocki said parents should also set ground rules and restrictions on their kids’ electronic devices.
And many are doing just that.
Parents Are Listening To The Expert
“Let’s say if they finish their homework they have maybe 15 minutes of playtime on the iPad and that’s really it,” said Rick Paturzo, a Naperville resident. “The iPad is not connected to the internet so they can’t go on YouTube. We’re really trying to keep them safe.”
Wistocki also recommends not letting your kids to sleep with their phone, as that’s when they’re most vulnerable to online predators.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.