TikTok Family Safety Toolkit: Top 10 Digital Parenting Tips

TikTok partnered with DQ Institute to create its Family Safety Toolkit for online usage. It aims to keep family members, especially children, safe.

Protect your families online with TikTok's Family Safety Toolkit

TikTok's Top 10 Digital Parenting Tips

The Toolkit uses the DQ Framework which is touted as the world's first global standard related to digital literacy, skills, and readiness. With that, they were able to curate 10 Digital Parenting Tips to create a safe online environment for your family:

1. Check your child's tech readiness - As a parent, you should make sure that your child is using age-appropriate apps only. Even teens are encouraged to do the same. You can use the Family Safety Toolkit to test your kids' level of digital citizenship to make sure whether they are ready to use apps safely and responsibly.

2. Agree on Family Tech Boundaries - Parents should encourage family members to come to an agreement for when and where tech can access online and digital devices. Content to watch, use, and play should also be regulated especially for minors.

3. Set Smart Limit on Screen Time - Limiting screen time now only regulates the usage time but also teaches kids the value of time management skills. This can benefit them in the future and can also benefit their health.

4. Discuss Cyber-Bullying - Parents should be able to educate their kids about cyber-bullying. It is important to know if your kids or their friends are experiencing it. It is also important to emphasize that bullying is never a good thing.

5. Privacy and Security - Knowledge about online privacy is very important. It needs to be emphasized to your kids that some information needs to be kept private. This way your family will be protected from phishing and other risks.

6. Risky contact and content - Social media websites will be a part of kids' lives so it is important to educate them that there will be risky content containing violence, nudity, hate speech, etc. "Stranger danger" is also a phrase that can be used online as more victims of exploitation, online grooming, and unwanted sexual contact surface.

7. Say no to Sexting - Teens in puberty are prone to exploring which includes their sexuality. It is important to educate your teens that whatever they post or send to someone including intimate images and chats will never be safe. Routinely check your kids' chats to make sure they are safe.

8. Educate about misinformation - Teach your kids about online vigilance. Not everything you see online is real. Always fact-check before believing and sharing articles or posts online.

9. Connect with support networks - Developing a good support and protection network around a teen, which includes parents, family members, educators, and other experts, can help keep them safe from cyber-risk situations.

10. Make Content Together - Bonding over something they love to do is a great way to build relationships. TikTok can be a good platform to create great content as a family.

What do you guys think?