As parents, we are faced with so many dilemmas. Are our children \u2018available\u2019 for play dates with kids we\u2019re not crazy about? Do we graciously welcome \u2018non-RSVP\u2019d\u2019 children (and their siblings!) to a birthday party? And when do we ignore the messy room in the spirit of mental health preservation?<\/p>\n
More importantly, what about the password dilemma? Is it appropriate to insist you know your child\u2019s passwords, or is it an invasion of their privacy?<\/p>\n
This is such a difficult question \u2013 definitely up there with the social engineering\/playdate situation. If you try and outsource the dilemma to experts, you\u2019ll find that nearly all technology and parenting experts have conflicting views and opinions. Many believe safety should be the most important consideration, so knowing your child\u2019s passwords should be non-negotiable, while others believe it is our role as parents to focus on teaching independence to help our children self-manage.<\/p>\n
So, what are Aussie parents doing? Research recently released from McAfee shows that 59% of us know our child\u2019s password to access devices and apps. But, not surprisingly, this statistic increases to 74% when you look at parents of kids aged 8-12 years and then decreases to 42% when you focus on parents of 13-16 year olds. So it seems some of us Aussie parents are insisting on being involved.<\/p>\n
Now, before I share my thoughts, I think it\u2019s important to take a moment for a \u2018parenting affirmation\u2019. As parents, we know our children better than any expert, so knowing when to draw the line and set the boundaries is best guided by our own intuition. Parental instinct is a powerful tool \u2013 so don\u2019t ignore your gut feeling on this issue.<\/p>\n
In my family, I have chosen to adopt a mentor style\/empowering approach to passwords. My boys are older \u2013 almost 13 through to 19 so we are in the transition phase. I am \u2018familiar\u2019 with my younger boys\u2019 passwords however my older boys (17 and 19) are totally self-managed and I have absolutely no clue.<\/p>\n
So, in case you are after another perspective, here is a summary of how I would recommend managing this dilemma:<\/p>\n
However, for this empowering approach to work, it is critical that your kids possess a solid and broad collection of cyber skills. And most importantly, that they feel completely comfortable coming to you with any issues they may experience online.<\/p>\n
So keep the cyber conversations flowing and arm your kids with enough cyber know-how so that they are able to make good digital decisions. And don\u2019t worry too much about the messy room \u2013 that\u2019s one dilemma not worth worrying about!<\/p>\n
Till Next Time,<\/p>\n
Alex xx<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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