PARENTING IN A DIGITAL ERA
I have three children – 19, 15 and 10. When my older two were little, smartphones hadn’t taken over. Even then, the moment they got their first phones, my carefully nurtured reading routines evaporated overnight, replaced by chat groups and endless scrolling.
Still, they learnt to tell the difference between playful online banter and toxic exchanges, to know when to stick around and when it is time to “leave the room”.
My youngest, however, was born in a digital world. For him and many of his peers, smartphones are not tools, they are life. Education, play and friendships are all online.
It is easy to say that parents should teach kids how to navigate the digital world safely. But it can still be a scary place. Take online games, for instance. They seem harmless until suddenly, strangers start trash-talking your child. Their hurtful remarks can make a virtual space feel overwhelmingly real. Only a few will tell a trusted adult.
In Singapore, 74 per cent of internet users come across harmful content like cyberbullying, and are most likely to encounter it on social media compared to other platforms. If this is our children’s lived reality, it’s no wonder that they might be desensitised to violence and aggression, and even become bullies themselves.
Late in 2024, Australia announced a social media ban for children younger than 16 years old to ease school bullying and development issues. Many countries including Singapore are studying similar approaches. But this alone is not a sustainable solution. Parents and educators must prioritise soft skills – listening, empathy and the ability to handle nuance, rather than reducing everything to black and white.
