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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder, Youth Reformation and Awareness Center (YRAC), a Non-Government Organization, Mrs. Margaret Udoh has urged parents to be actively involved in social media platforms in order to raise children that would be useful both to the families and the nation.
She gave the admonition recently in Abuja during an event organized by YRAC with theme: “Overcoming Digital Parenting Challenges”. In a paper presentation titled: “Blending and Balancing the Analogue & Digital Upbringing”, Mrs. Udoh said that in a digital age, it would be difficult for computer illiterate parents to raise computer literate children.
She stressed that the twenty first century life depends on information and communication technology, as such, parents need to get involved in understanding the generational trend including children upbringing. She said understanding the trend would aid the parents to be computer compliance, a situation that would enable them actively participate in the social media with a view to knowing and controlling the activities of their children in the social media world.
Udoh made it known that YRAC is interested in carrying out advocacies, seminars and programmes that would enlighten parents on the need to be computer compliant in order to bridge the wide gap, urging parents not to lack behind. She pointed out that when parents understood the trend, they would properly enlighten their children. This development, she said, would bring up balanced children.
Meanwhile, a participant, Pastor Debra Life-Alabgbemi, Founder, Integrity Royal Women International noted that the event could not have come at a better time than now. She commended YRAC for its programmes on digital upbringing.
She encouraged parents to go closer to their children, adding, “We have heard so much how we parents should open up ourselves to our children, let us know what they are doing, let us impart into their life. What we want to see our children do that will make us happy, that we should do before them. Speak “good” into their life and build confidence in them.
She further said, “Check out for the social media platform where they are active and know what they are really posting and absorbing, correct the wrong with love, tell them the truth, if we refuse to tell the truth to our children, who else will tell them?”
Another participant, Mrs Martina Okpere Ampufo described the event as impactful noting that digital parenting is what every parent should be familiar with vis a vis surfing the internet or attending seminar of this kind.
According to her, digital parenting is a sophisticated way of raising children on a daily basis which entails hard work. She said parents should guide their children on the use of internet by telling the children the positive and negative aspects base on what the parents know as adults.
She posited,”We are in contemporary time where you cannot stop children from gaining access to the internet. Internet is very educative and at the same time has its own vices. Every parent should ensure strict monitoring of their children. Give them their space but monitor what they watch, monitor what they access, and at the same time, be friendly with them because whatever you fail to do right now could be what will cause tears later.”
However, Mrs Stella Maris Omu, an educationist pointed out the children could not be deprived from being digital conscious but that it was important that parents and children flowed together with the digital global trend of information and communication technology.
For growing children, she said, “parents should be part of what their children do with the internet. Parents’ interaction with the children on the internet is a way of curbing the excesses. You also let them know the space of time they need to stay with the system, what they get out of the system and how to close up the system. They have to know what site to google and the sites not to.”