New guide encourages dads to promote ‘digital resilience’ in children
A new guide from DaddiLife, the UK’s leading parenting site for fathers, aims to help dads instill digital resilience in their children.
Digital resilience is the ability to recognise online risks, avoid them if possible, and take the appropriate action if required. It is a recognition that the online world will never be risk free, but that children can be empowered to navigate the internet safely and sensibly.
The guide, ‘Instilling Digital Resilience in Children’, is designed to help dads promote this new and increasingly vital life skill for their children. It includes the latest research from organisations like the NSPCC and Young Minds, and advice on everything from setting appropriate limits on internet use to the best way to talk to children about their online behaviour. The messages are reinforced by quotes and video clips from real dads and parenting experts.
Han-Son Lee, founder of DaddiLife and father of one, said: “DaddiLife encompasses a large community of dads and many have said that one of the biggest challenges they face, and one they feel least able to tackle, is around internet use. We created this all-encompassing guide in response to a very obvious need.
“Whether you’re the dad of a six-year-old who has just started to use the family tablet, or a 14-year-old with their own connected smartphone and console, this is an issue that affects us all. But while the internet can seem scary for children, our guide recognises that it can also be a huge force for good. Children love to go online. That’s why it is about digital resilience, not unenforceable rules or draconian censorship.”
The guide, available now, arrives just after Christmas, when countless children will have received connected devices as gifts. It also comes at a time when stories of online grooming, bullying or inappropriate content are never out of the news.
“When faced with those sorts of headlines, it’s a dad’s natural response to want to shield his children from danger and keep them away from its source,” added Han-Son. “But with the internet that just won’t work. There’s a great analogy in the ebook. You don’t wait till they’ve banned all cars from the roads before you let your children walk across. You teach them the skills they need to be safe, even though crossing the road is inherently risky. We hope the ebook helps to do the same for internet use.”
Instilling Digital Resilience in Children is available for free at https://daddilife.com/e-safety-digital-resilience/
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For more information please contact DaddiLife at dad@daddilife.com