WhatsApp: 8 tips for good use for children
We've been wondering for a long time if it's good for our children to have a smartphone at an early age. In any case, no teenager conceives to have a mobile phone without the famous Whatsapp, the leading instant messaging application that everyone has.
It is well known that the amount of messages and information we receive through the social network WhastApp It is abundant. Therefore, its correct use can be difficult for a child. We, as parents, should advise and teach them to make the most popular messaging application a good use that does not harm their education.
8 tips for a good use of WhatsApp
As it is not easy, we show you 8 tips that will help you instruct your children in the use of WhatsApp:
1. The group of friends, yes, but with measure. A group of WhatsApp can be fun. However, the information and multimedia files that pass from one phone to another can be harmful. Therefore, it is important to teach children the difference between fun and harm. At the same time, it is convenient to show them how to share useful and quality information.
2. Respect others and their privacy. When you share content, there is no turning back. It is good to think well about what to distribute and what not, so as not to disrespect the honor or the image of another person. In the case of WhatsApp there is virtual bullying and this is the most frequent case, because it is the one that can least be publicly appreciated, contrary to what happens on Facebook. At the same time, be careful with what they say: it is likely that in the group there is someone who is not their friend and does not care about their private life.
3. Would you say it to your face? If the answer is negative, do not write it down or give it to "send". Thus, anger or absurd discussions will be saved via WhatsApp that lead nowhere. Teenagers are impulsive, and that makes them vulnerable because, when you send something, you can not eliminate it, and it will be seen by all the recipients to whom the message is directed.
4. Show yourself unhappy with the bad uses. Teach your child that, if any of the members of the WhatsApp group share any unpleasant, inappropriate, distasteful or immoral content, respect their dissatisfaction. You do not have to create discord in the group chat, just show up against that type of messages, images or videos.
5. Avoid commenting rumors. Both by private and by groups, people comment rumors that, in many cases, are not true. And, even if they are, it is not smart to be talking badly about someone. And less in writing, because the words fly, but the writing remains. In addition, you should try to eradicate them so that they are not shared anymore, at least in your circles of friends. It's not about being the party's spoilsport, but an example to follow.
6. Leave that group. Leaving one of them can be unpleasant for the rest of the chat participants. But it is better to leave than to be receiving content that later is unfortunate for your education.
7. Move away from the mobile. It is good to leave the phone in a place where you will not be. That dependence on WhatsApp will be reduced if the child learns not to be always stuck to the mobile, without the need to constantly unlock the smartphone to check if someone has written.
8. WhatsApp is not negative. It is a super useful application to communicate with them, and that they communicate with their friends. With it, you can exchange very good information for them, as well as entertaining videos or images to see what is really good and moral.
Gonzalo Medina
