In today’s digital age, parenting has taken on a whole new meaning. With children spending more time online and are owning devices at younger ages, it has become crucial to teach them how to be safe and responsible online citizens. Nurturing children into safe and responsible online citizens is a challenge that parents are facing more than ever before. Unlike yesteryears, when parenting was focused on teaching children about the dangers of the physical world, today’s parents must also navigate the complex and often unpredictable world of cyberspace.

According to Nadia Khan, Head of Communications at Google Malaysia, screen time in Malaysia has been steadily rising.

“Unsurprisingly, more than 70% of parents allowed increased screen time for kids during the pandemic with 3 in 4 children spending an average of 1-6 hours online per day. And they’re turning to technology for daily activities from remote learning, starting a book, and learning a new language. On top of that, children are also being exposed to screens at younger ages. A recent Kids & Families survey that we commissioned showed that kids as young as ten years old in Malaysia are going online.

Nadia Khan presenting about Google’s Family Link app features.

“Finding that balance of online and offline, seeing boundaries, and having those conversations are critical for creating a healthy and safer experience online. As a fellow parent, I know that this can feel daunting, but as they say, “it takes a village to raise a child” – and that’s the same for a child’s online journey,” shared Nadia.

In August last year, Google published its Kids & Families Safety insights on how Malaysian parents have been managing their children’s technology use and keeping them safe online. The survey found that Malaysian parents listed these issues as their top concerns: privacy and security; inappropriate content; and understanding real or fake.

As technology rapidly evolves, 72% of parents have proactively looked for information about online safety, an encouraging sign of the priority that parents are placing on online safety. However 30% of parents surveyed did not feel that their child is well informed about online safety issues. This three year gap could be why kids aren’t as informed as they could be – particularly at an age when they are most vulnerable to pitfalls and hard-to-break habits.

Jenny Lim, mother of 2 daughters aged 11 and 7, also shared her personal experiences in keeping her children safe online. She said that since most of her kids’ friends have phones and devices, it would be unfair of her to deprive them of their connection and that’s why she decided to give them their own devices when they turn 10. However, she has also started exposing her kids more to devices recently for education purposes, communicating with their friends and families, and also for entertainment as a self-reward.

Jenny Lim (speaking, left) sharing about her personal experience of online safety with her two daughters.

Jenny then proceeded to share about how her realisation about kids in today’s age through her own personal experience with her daughter.

“Sophie, my older girl, hardly read any books, especially physical books. However, the moment I handed over my Kindle to her, she started to read from it, and somehow it helped to develop her reading habit. That kind of sparked the realisation that kids today are different and parents cannot expect their kids today to grow up like we did,” shared Jenny, who is also the SEA Performance Solutions Lead at Google.

Every parent desires for the internet to provide a safe and enriching environment where their children can learn, grow, and explore their passions without compromising their wellbeing. The key to achieving this is by setting clear guidelines and having open discussions with your kids about online safety.

According to Jenny, parents should engage their children in the decision-making process, discuss their interests and use it as an opportunity to bond. It is also crucial to be mindful of your own digital habits as a parent, as they can influence your children’s behaviour and attitudes towards technology. By being a good digital role model, you can guide your children towards becoming responsible and safe online citizens.

3 Free Tools to Help Safeguard Your Children While They’re Online

YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids was created to give kids a more contained environment that makes it simpler and more fun for them to explore on their own. Parents and caregivers can guide the journey as your kids discover new and exciting interests along the way.