Raising children in the digital age: A lot of parents learning the web now

Raising children in the digital age: A lot of parents learning the web now

A video that recently surfaced online of a young boy spewing unprintable words blew the lid on parenting children of Generation Z.

According to McKinsey, a global consulting firm, Generation Z can be loosely defined as people born from 1995 to 2010.

They are otherwise known as digital natives because they have been exposed to the internet, social networks and mobile systems; some even before they can talk.

From watching lullabies on YouTube to having their parents create Instagram or Facebook pages to show their day to day lives, Generation Z are literally ‘children of the web’.

The recent video that was widely shared online is still a subject of debate as it raises concern as to how to raise digital natives.

”No parent has a dummy child to practice on,” Wanjiru Ngugi, a psychologist said on Citizen TV’s Daybreak show earlier this week.

Psychologists agree that the challenges brought about by the digital age are enormous both for adults and children.

Ms. Ngugi avers that parents never get to practice for when they will get children adding that most will say that they are ‘winging it.’

And with the digital age, she says: ‘A lot of parents are learning the web now as this is new ground for them since they did not have that access when they were their children’s age.”

For this reason, the psychologist says children could be accessing harmful content right under their parents’ noses.

Otoa Sifuna, a teacher, said it is important for parents to befriend their children to build an environment of trust.

“Children need to learn that they can be open with their parents about what is going on in their lives including what they watch on social media,” she said during the Daybreak show.

Psychologist Ciru Ngingi adds that children in this era should not be blamed for what comes with being exposed to unregulated online content.

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generation z parenting

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