Katlego Sekhu
TikTok, a popular platform among young children, has already faced bans or restrictions in certain countries due to its negative impact on children’s mental health. This is mainly attributed to the content it exposes them to.
In light of this concern, the team at 959 Breakfast recently discussed how parents can safeguard their children from potentially harmful social media content and trends.
The team posed a question to the listeners: “Do you use any protection apps or models to keep your child safe?”
Mpho Maboi shared her experience, stating that her 11-year-old son is “incredibly tech-savvy” and often teaches her about phone-related matters. As a result, they have “open conversations about what is appropriate and what makes him feel comfortable or uncomfortable.”
Nomfundo Mabalane, our newsreader, also shared a similar experience with her own child. “My eleven-year-old daughter is also very tech-savvy and teaches me a lot about these things,” she said. “However, we have YouTube for kids as a safety measure. Although she is not allowed to have TikTok, she has been exposed to it at school. Surprisingly, she informed me that she can access similar content while watching YouTube at home, even though I thought I had banned it.”
Sol Phenduka emphasized that many parents have become too reliant on apps to raise their children. “We should be teaching them good principles so that when they do come across these things, they are able to discern what is good and what is not. That comes from a parent,” he points out.
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