Almost all parents worry about their child spending too much time using their gadget. However, it is important to consider that the internet is not always useless or harmful, especially when it comes to a child communicating with their friends or loved ones after a move. Experts point out that communicating with friends through video calls teaches children to value relationships and friendship. That is why parents should explain to their child how to maintain friendship from a distance.
Early introduction of a child to video communication
Thanks to modern applications and social networks, communication has reached a new level. Children from a young age know how to communicate through chats and video calls, make friends, and continue to maintain relationships with distant relatives. It is worth exploring how parents can help strengthen their child’s connection with virtual conversation partners via the internet.
Psychologists argue that modern gadgets should not be given to children under the age of 2. However, if it is a matter of communicating with close people, then an exception can be made. During communication, a child develops fully, acquires useful skills, and learns to communicate. It does not matter where the interlocutor is: nearby or on the other side of the monitor. This suggests that children should know how to make friends from a distance.
Psychologists in the United States conducted a study involving children aged 1 to 2 years. For 7 days, some children were taught new words by communicating with teachers via video calls, while the other group of children did the same, but with recorded lessons. As a result of the experiment, it was concluded that young children better remembered information and instantly recognized people they had seen in real-time video calls.
Providing your child with quality internet
As it turns out, not all time spent online is wasted. Pediatricians point out that many studies have been conducted on children’s sleep. These experiments have shown that insomnia and depression in young children arise not from frequent use of smartphones, but from poor image quality on the screen. This suggests that if a child is provided with quality connectivity, spending time at the computer will only bring benefits to the body.
It is possible for young children to communicate through video conferencing, but their age should be taken into account. If parents are present when a very young child communicates with loved ones who are far away, the child will not feel discomfort and will acquire useful skills.
Discussing technology use rules with your child
Each child uses phones differently. They may play games, watch cartoons, or videos – be content consumers. But older children use devices for other purposes: getting new information, reading books, and communicating with friends.
Parents should initially explain to their child how to use gadgets with maximum benefit. After all, time can be spent on useless browsing of TikTok, or it can be spent interestingly chatting with peers via video conferencing. Long-distance friendship and online communication are just as important as real relationships.
Monitoring your child’s behavior online
One should not lose vigilance, as the physical and psychological safety of the child always comes first. There are many applications that allow parents to monitor who their child adds as friends, who they communicate with, and share content with.
Despite the positive aspects of online friendship, there are also users who can intentionally harm their interlocutors. The task of parents is to protect their child from communication with such individuals.
If a teenager spends almost all of their free time engaging in useless computer or phone activities, then parents should limit their usage. In cases where this isn’t always possible, parents can install the same apps that allow the device to be put in sleep mode remotely.
How parents can help their child make friends online
There are several pieces of advice that parents can recommend to their children who are wondering how to maintain friendships at a distance. They are as follows:
- Create a shared talisman for two. Children can have some object that will remind them of time spent together. It can be a decoration, coin, or ticket from a movie theater. The purpose of this item isn’t as important as the story behind it.
- Regular calls to each other. If your child and their friend are separated by miles, it’s important not to lose friendly relations. For this, they can call each other frequently because texting isn’t quite enough for full communication. Undoubtedly, video communication requires more time, but there’s a plus: the child won’t waste it on useless activities.
- A shared playlist. They can give each other common music on one of the streaming services. Music is often associated with important events in life, so friends who listen to the same composition will never forget about each other’s existence.
- Introduce a virtual friend to real company. To prevent someone from feeling lonely, with whom they only communicate online for some reason, you can introduce them to your real friends. This is an excellent idea because today there’s an opportunity to communicate via video chats in group chats.
- Express sincere emotions. Don’t be afraid to show a friend that they’re important. Children are more sincere than adults, so parents should teach them always to tell the truth to their interlocutor and not be afraid of rejection.
The most important and useful thing that parents who wonder how to help their child maintain long-distance friendships can do is to organize a meeting of two virtual friends in real life. Yes, it’s difficult, it takes a lot of time and requires financial investment, but it’s important for the child. They can go to the seaside, attend a music concert, or just visit each other’s homes. The child will definitely appreciate such a gift and keep a lot of positive memories.
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