The internet can be a wonderful place.
Child psychologist Catherine Cheptoo of Hisia Psychology Centre, Riverside, advocates for openly communicating to one's children the many wonderful possibilities the internet presents, such as research, the ability to connect with friends, and games which can also be educational.
It is important, however, to make it clear that there is a greater potential for danger, too.
"Hazards are largely based on three areas, which are cyber-bullying, online predators who often pretend to be kids, and inappropriate images. Encourage your child to come to you first with any questions they may have, and the importance of reporting anything that makes them feel uncomfortable," she says.
Child exposure to porn, she adds, is very common. The average age when children are exposed to porn, according to Cheptoo, is 11 years old.
To that effect, child psychologist Catherine Cheptoo of Hisia Psychology Centre, Riverside, said parents need to be aware of how common child exposure to porn is. The average age when children are first exposed to pornography is 11 years.
In the event that your child has been watching porn, it is best to keep calm and address the issue with compassion, Cheptoo advises.
"Understandably, few issues trigger a parent more than discovering their child has been exposed to sexually explicit content. For this reason, before confronting your child about it, it is best to take a few deep breaths, talk it through with someone else, and compose yourself before establishing contact with them," says Cheptoo.
She urges parents to create a comfortable environment that assures their kids they will not get into trouble if they are forthcoming and honest.
The third step, she says, is to process the images and emotions of a child when they discover they're already exposed to pornography. Face the difficult task of asking your child in private to describe what she had viewed.
"In case it's fruitful, and the child divulges details of what exactly happened, the parents should express empathy, instead of anger, and concern, instead of alarm," she says.
Cheptoo says it's a good idea to have your child see a specialist for therapy to ensure they have the needed support to process what she saw. However, therapy is not necessary, depending on the child's age and the content they watched.
Cheptoo says parents should assure their children that what they watched is not love. It is important to draw a distinction between love and sex.
"Your child should know that the images and graphics they saw are not normal. That it is not love, not safe, and it is not what people do when they love each other and start a family. Explain to them that it is not real. This comforts a traumatised child who might be confused and scared about what they saw online," she says.
Cheptoo urges parents to normalise their children's curiosity. She says that parents need to assure their children that it is normal to wonder about sexual body parts, both their own and those of other people," she says.
"It is also normal to want to understand more information on things we don't know about. Parents should educate their kids on different places, people, and avenues to get this information."
Jude Njoroge, an IT specialist, encourages parents to embrace technology so that they can be able to better keep up with their children.
"There are software and monitoring apps that a parent can install to monitor and alert them of anything that seems suspicious and dangerous," he says. "Additionally, you can ask your internet service provider to enable parental controls. Parents can also set up passwords and inactivate Wifi at bedtime."
Cheptoo adds that parents should set up such rules and monitoring systems early enough when the kids are still impressionable, so the kids don't argue later on, down the road when they are older, that you no longer trust them.
"Don't wait until it's too late to start monitoring and imposing rules and routines on your children while they're already well into their teens, as it will trigger some form of friction and rebellion."
Most social media platforms have an age restriction of 13 years, but this is not enough.
"Nowadays, we have seen kids as young as 6 years accessing social media. As much as age restriction is important, we need to actively teach the kids about the dark side of social medi," Janet Machuka, Social Media Marketer and founder of ATC Digital Academy says.