From dancing dogs to kids facing challenges in school, memes have gone viral worldwide and continue to bring smiles to people’s faces, including those with children.
However, with all the memes available today, how can you be sure that the content your child is laughing at or watching is appropriate and the memes are for kids?
This article gives information on how parents can search for humorous and age-appropriate memes and how they can start children on the journey into this new age of memes.
What are memes?
Memes are somewhat like songs or jokes that go ‘viral’ on the internet, the difference being that they are mostly graphical or even simple texts in the form of videos and graphics.
Here’s what makes them unique:
1. Evolution: Unlike other forms of media, memes are never permanent and can be changed at any moment. People can put their own connotations on it, and it can turn into something completely different.
2. Relatability: Memes focus on familiar situations or emotions that children can easily understand. This influences children because they can connect with what is being posted on memes and end up laughing.
3. Snackable Size: Memes are clear, straightforward, and straightforward with no fuzz. They offer small portions of humor or satire in a way that suits users who are hard to please.
4. Interactive: In other words, memes are inclined to encourage interaction. This enables children to participate, share their views, and, in some cases, come up with their own spin-offs.
Why are memes appealing to kids?
Memes are an ideal fit for the modern child who seems to be gradually growing up in a digital, fast-paced world. They are attractive to kids for several reasons:
- Humor: Often, they have some jokes or humorous scenes that are quite obvious and interesting for children and adolescents.
- Brevity: It means that it does not make the topics complicated in any way and can obviously be viewed quite quickly, which is good, especially when the audience is children.
- Creativity: Memes are quite different and can be customized, thus allowing children to get involved in content production.
- Social currency: Posting and receiving memes make children feel more connected and culturally engage them in something.
- Visual appeal: Young people become interested in both pictures and words since they both carry interest and influence.
How to find safe memes for kids?
The Internet is full of memes, and while most of them are fun, there might be things in those memes that are better not to show to young people.
Here’s how to navigate the meme-verse and find content that’s both funny and appropriate:
Curated websites
Several websites on the internet have been designed with jokes and memes for kids. Here are a few to check out:
– GoNoodle:
It is designed to help kids stay active, improve focus, and enhance social-emotional learning through engaging activities. Kids can get some positive memes from it.
– Common Sense Media:
Gives overall ratings for them and some recommended media for your kid, such as memes suitable for your kid’s age.
– KidzWorld:
Has a moderated social platform where children are allowed to post and comment on memes in a safe environment.
Social media accounts and hashtags
Interacting on social media offers a source of memes that might appear rather attractive to your child. Here are some to consider:
- @KidsMemeology on Instagram: Bleeps out words or cuts scenes that are acceptable for most children.
- #KidFriendlyMemes on various platforms: Launched solely with the mission of always filtering content to make sure it is good for the children.
- @CleanMemesCentral on Twitter: Shares quotes and memes based on their rating appropriateness for the different ages.
Mobile apps designed for children
The choice of child-friendly mobile applications and filtered safe memes remains rather limited. Here is a look at some of these apps:
– Kiddle:
A kid-safe search engine will be a handy tool to help with the search for the right meme.
– Funimate:
Enables kids to write memes and short videos on their own but with some level of protection.
– PopJam:
A social media platform targeted at children that can censor anything posted, including memes.
Why parents should pay attention to their kids using memes
Parents have to pay attention to the kind of memes accessed by their children to make sure it has the right content suitable for the kids.
Although memes may be entertainment and social tools, they carry certain risks, especially when used on the Internet.
The primary concerns include
- Inappropriate content: Some of the connected images can contain adult jokes, scenes of violence, and other scenes that might be obscene for children.
- Cyberbullying: Memes could be employed as a means for teasing or as a part of cyberbullying.
- Misinformation: Some of these memes contain untruthful information, and the child receiving that particular message cannot distinguish its authenticity.
- Privacy risks: Sharing or creating memes could be seen as a violation of the right to privacy since disclosure of information may be involved.
- Exposure to extremist ideologies: Certain memes may contribute to the formation or continuation of prejudices or stereotypical perceptions.
Benefits of memes
However, when properly monitored, memes can also offer benefits:
– Social skills development: Since memes let children understand and explain things, it would be useful for learning how to interact with peers socially.
– Creativity enhancement: Constructing or reconstructing memes involves people creatively and cognitively.
– Humor development: Thanks to memes, children are able to memorize all sorts of humorous concepts and even find their sense of humor.
– Cultural awareness: Since memes are based on actual events and trending topics, children can easily learn about a new topic and events.
Educational and funny memes for kids sharing
Here are examples of educational and funny memes perfect for sharing with your kids, along with explanations to enhance the learning experience:
Success Kid
This image of a baby with a small clenched fist and a rather serious expression became a true internet hit.
It is usually employed to call for a celebration as a result of a win, whether it is mastering how to tie one’s shoelaces or completing difficult homework.
It is a perfect way to motivate children to stay active and to be happy even in the smallest successes.
Distracted Boyfriend
This is a meme of a boyfriend holding his girlfriend’s hand while he looks at another beautiful lady.
Although it might have originally been intended as a little joke, it is a great template for expressing the desire to take something one should not or to focus on something more trivial.
Such an approach can provoke informal discussions about appropriate conduct and time management with children.
Woman Yelling at a Cat
This meme shows a bewildered cat placed at a dining table with a furious woman screaming at it.
Though its roots might seem rather absurd, this structure is ideal for developing humorous contexts associated with learning.
It is a comedic take on potentially annoying aspects of learning, which reduces some of the tension and reaffirms teacher-student relations.
Drakeposting
This meme comprises of a split image of the Canadian rapper and singer, Drake frowning at an object or an idea and nodding in approval at another.
It has become a popular format to express different preferences, commonly making fun of the topic in question.
This versatility makes it perfect for educational memes! It clearly depicts how planning and organization can help and save time in the long run.
“This is Fine” Dog
This meme portrays a small dog calmly sitting in a room filled with fire, accompanied by the line, “This is fine. “
Although the actual meaning may seem a little grim, it’s possible to use this format to share humorous memes about procrastination.
Such realistic examples help to discuss time management and making sure one meets one’s deadlines with the child.
Expandable Brain
This meme is a humorous picture of a head with labels that denote its ever-increasing size to represent levels of comprehension.
Greater head size means more information on a specific subject. This format is excellent for creating memes that are focused on the growth mindset and the fun of learning.
It is a constant illustration of the essence of learning and the feeling of accomplishment that results from acquiring information.
They Didn’t Know That I Was …” Wojak
This meme consists of a person called Wojak with different emotive faces illustrating different events.
This format is useful in developing content memes around the subject of finding out new and interesting things about different topics.
It underlines the fun that learning can be and generates interest in studying a variety of topics.
Tips for parents: Monitoring and curating kid’ memes use
As much as the internet has a variety of entertaining and funny memes, parents should always keep an eye on what their child is exposed to.
Here are some tips to ensure they’re exploring the safe and age-appropriate corners of the meme-verse:
Creating your own memes:
Promote innovation and quality family time by creating memes with your family. Check out the kid-friendly meme generators that exist so that you can easily share specific family experiences, jokes, or educational content.
Regular discussions and sharing memes:
Designate some time in which the family specifically shares and talks about memes. It will enable you to know your child’s interests, train the child on critical thinking, and educate the child on what to share on the internet.
Parental controls:
Parental control apps can be helpful in the monitoring and regulation of children’s use of electronics. An example of such an app is FlashGet Kids , which has a good parental control feature that may assist parents in monitoring their children.
FlashGet Kids’ features
Here are some of FlashGet Kids‘ features:
- Screen mirroring: FlashGet Kids has an option where the parents can monitor their child’s screen activities in real-time. This feature is very useful to see the memes your child is browsing or posting at random times.
- Usage report: The usage report feature offers a summary of the activities of the device of the child including the apps that the child uses. This can enable you to know where your child might be coming across a meme.
- App management: FlashGet Kids enables the user to regulate the applications available to the child. This feature can be used to block apps which may have embarrassing memes to avoid accessing them.
- Web filtering: You can use FlashGet Kids’ to filter given websites in order to prevent kids from accessing websites that contain improper memes.
Using these measures alongside FlashGet Kids’ features enables the child to have a fun and safe meme experience while they learn the relevant skills to handle the future internet.
Conclusion
Navigating the world of memes for children is a great challenge for parents, but, at the same time, it is an important part of the contemporary process of parenting.
Embracing meme culture and using the right tools and materials can be considered a development and an opportunity to bond.
It is crucial to bear in mind that memes are not simply irrelevant internet humor; they signify shifting social dynamics.
When you lead your children through this territory, you not only protect them from the dangers of the internet but also help them develop critical thinking, creative skills, and empathy.
