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Shilpa Shetty's Parenting Advice: Raise Digitally Aware Kids, Not Addicted Ones

Actress Shilpa Shetty, speaking as a mother, emphasizes the need to raise digitally aware children rather than digitally addicted ones. She highlights the internet's dual role as a creative playground and a potential source of inappropriate exposure. She advises parents to monitor content, use parental controls, and foster open communication to build trust. Shilpa concludes by calling for a collective effort to guide children towards confident and safe digital futures.

Key Points: Shilpa Shetty on Raising Digitally Aware Children

  • Internet is a powerful tool and teacher
  • Parental supervision is care, not control
  • Open conversation prevents harmful curiosity
  • Use parental controls but build trust
2 min read

Shilpa Shetty on the need to raise digitally aware children & not digitally addicted children

Actress Shilpa Shetty shares essential tips for parents to balance internet exposure and raise digitally aware, not addicted, children.

"Let's stop parenting in isolation and let's work towards raising digitally aware and not digitally addicted children. - Shilpa Shetty"

Mumbai, Feb 10

Actress Shilpa Shetty decided to stress the need to raise digitally aware children instead of digitally addicted children.

Speaking her mind as a concerned mother of two, Shilpa pointed out that the internet is a powerful tool that plays a crucial role in shaping young minds.

She added that it is the responsibility of the parents to keep a check on the level of internet exposure the kids get, ensuring a healthy generation of digitally aware, yet not digitally addicted people.

In the video uploaded by Shilpa on her IG, she was heard saying, "Today is Safer Internet Day, and I wanted to speak from my heart for a minute. It couldn't be a better day to broach this topic, and not as a public figure but as a concerned mother. The internet is a powerful teacher, a playground for creativity. So with the pros come the cons, and we must be aware of them."

"You know it can also expose young minds to things that they're not ready for, and as parents, our role isn't to just simply ban technology; it's to balance the access and exposure to it," she added.

Shilpa shared that as parents, it is crucial to teach young minds that not everything on the internet is real.

She said, "So how do we do this? Know what your child is watching, scrolling, and consuming. It's also very important to talk openly. Curiosity grows in silence, not in conversation, and please use parental controls, but more importantly, build trust. Supervision till 16, I believe, isn't control, it's care. Teach them that not everything online is real, kind or even safe."

Shilpa hopes to bring a small change regarding raising digitally aware children through this conversation.

"And here's the truth, I don't have all the answers, but I want to start a real conversation today, and we have to, you know, bring this change about together. Let's stop parenting in isolation and let's work towards raising digitally aware and not digitally addicted children. So guidance today creates confidence tomorrow, and we need that for our future," her post concluded.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Rohit P
Good to see a celebrity using her platform for this. But let's be real, it's very easy for her to say with all the resources at her disposal. For middle-class parents like us, both working, sometimes the phone is the only thing that keeps the child occupied so we can get some work done. The conversation needs to include practical solutions for everyone.
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Arjun K
"Supervision till 16 is care, not control" – This is the key point. We need to move away from the idea that monitoring is mistrust. The digital world is the new playground, and would you let a young child play in a real playground completely unsupervised? Same logic applies.
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Sarah B
Building trust is more important than parental controls. If you just lock everything down, kids find ways around it and won't come to you when they see something disturbing. Open conversation is the best filter.
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Karthik V
The problem also starts with us parents, no? How many times do we check our phones while talking to our kids? We have to model the behaviour first. Digital detox should be a family activity, not just something for the children.
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Ananya R
Absolutely vital topic. In India, with cheap data and smartphones everywhere, kids are getting hooked younger and younger. Schools also need to be part of this conversation – they give so much online homework and projects, then complain about screen time!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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