Years ago when asked what was their dream profession most millennials would either choose a Hollywood star or a world-famous singer. Nowadays, kids’ choice fluctuates between a YouTube star and a world-famous Tik-Toker. It may come off weird when you first hear it, especially taking into consideration how small children below the age of 13 are not even allowed on most social media platforms. But these answers are essentially the same and nobody has the right to judge children for choosing social media as something they want to do professionally. Below in this article, we will cover the Creating Safe Internet Space For Your Child.
Creating Safe Internet Space For Your Child
The funny thing is, what children want now is much more realistic and easily achievable than what most of us wanted when we were their age. Probably only very few ended up actually becoming an actor or a singer but there are plenty of kid YouTube stars and Tik-Tokers, as well as Instagram famous children like the little fashion sensation from Japan – Coco (@coco_pinkprincess) or one of the biggest ASMR channels Life With Mak star Makennna Kelly. There are many children who do ASMR, fashion and lifestyle blogging on Instagram, cooking shows, and unboxing videos and some of them make millions.
No doubt no parent wants to exchange money doesn’t matter how big of a sum it is, with the safety of their child. The Internet can be a scary space despite being virtual. The virtual reality we are speaking of effects many aspects of everyday life outside of the Internet. Therefore, it is very important to carefully consider what to do if your child wants to start doing something on social media. It all depends on their emotional maturity, interests, and willingness to put themselves out there.
Taking Measurements
First things first, under no circumstances should you be overly strict and controlling about it. Talking out has always been and will always be the only way to get children to do what is right. Depending on the age as well. Some parents have their children’s Instagram pages ready prior to their birth and they regularly update them on their behalf. Until the child is old enough to run their own account or take over what their parents have created for them. Wanting to see adorable baby pictures usually these kinds of accounts have built up a considerable amount of followers quickly.
Here’s a thing. No matter who started running an account or a channel on any social media, it is better to treat the comment section under a check. Turning it off is an optimal option. If for some reason that is not what you or your child wants to do you should definitely keep checking regularly. Preferably, after every new update. As soon as there is any negativity surrounding anything concerning your child it is better to turn off and detach. Thankfully, Internet platforms allow people to switch off from negativity completely by turning off comment sections, a place where anyone can say anything without thinking about consequences. And such people sadly exist, but there is a way to deal with them.
Practical approach
If a child wants to start their YouTube channel, the first thing that you as a parent need to do is to outline a small questionnaire and then to fill it out or interview them. Again, no judgment or a remotely condescending attitude towards their responses. Ask them why they want to start the channel and what are some of their favorite YouTube content. Or some that they may find disturbing. Find out what type of content they want to create themselves. Tell them you are going to help as best as you can.
Monitoring and supervising should be done in a way that is not suffocating for your child. They should not feel like they are being controlled. As long as they pursue their genuine interests and do not do anything wrong they should not feel like they have to hide things from you.
Setting up a YouTube channel can be done by children below the age of 13 legally if their parents agree to allow them to do so. There is another alternative though. You can be the one who creates the channel and you can then let your child use it for uploading their content. You can take over the analytics, scarcely, will any child be interested in that anyway. And on top of it, this way you can control the demographics of the subscribers, content statistics and easily detect if anything goes wrong.
Help them with the start. Share their content, help them boost the engagements by using special internet platforms if one of their videos is not doing well or the number of subscribers won’t grow and it’s upsetting them; encourage them and help them with the creation of their content in any way you can; if they ask you to be a guest in one of their videos do not turn them down. They need to feel your support every step of the way.
Have a Talk
You need to do this. Whether it is before your child starts establishing their social media presence or after it is done, you need to talk it out with them. Discuss fame and some consequences that come with it. Discuss the reasons why your child wants to put themselves out there on the Internet and how can that affect them mentally and emotionally. Let them know that you are going to support their decision if they decide to suddenly quit or if they feel like it is taking a toll on them. Most importantly, they need to be aware of every possible way that can help them ensure their safety.
And lastly, keep in mind that you are supporting your child’s dream and as long as you take the right measurements it’s okay to let children start their own social media journey. At least, it is something much easier to do than what most of us wanted to achieve as children. Even if our parents were supportive and helpful, something like that was still unrealistic and stayed as a dream. Many of us must have dreamed about having our own children to make their dreams come true. When you are given the chance, do not deny it.