Although many families have tried to impose a rule that children are not allowed to use the internet at home, parents ultimately find that today it’s virtually impossible to enforce this rule.
Today’s children are so immersed in the online world that it would be hard to call these kids into an entirely offline world where they are excluded from online interaction.
This has forced parents to relook at how they can protect their children in this digital age and how to block inappropriate content from being delivered to their devices.
It seems that we naturally and innocently want to teach our children to be dependent on technology and the information technology paradigm.
There are however dangers lurking beyond the screen you need to be aware of. The biggest digital threats our children face
Cyberbullying
Today’s playgrounds for many young children and teenagers are social media and online games. Unfortunately, this is where most cyberbullying occurs.
According to Internet watchdogs, one-third of teens who use social media have been victims of cyberbullying, and 90% have ignored the bullying they have seen.
Cyberbullying can have a devastating impact on a child’s psychological well-being and self-esteem. Cyberbullying has been cited as the cause of many teen suicides.
Cyber Predators
Sexual predators frequently hide on popular social media and gaming platforms to connect with and groom young children. In some cases, cyber predators entice children into potentially life-threatening personal encounters by gaining their trust online.
Unwelcome Requests For Private Information
A child may publish personal data online, putting the entire family at risk. Children do not always grasp what constitutes “personal information,” nor do they fully comprehend the dangers associated with sharing personal information with anonymous people.
Phishing And Social Engineering
The most recent social media phishing scams scam vulnerable children and teens into believing they are verifying their account information when they are giving away their data. When a user clicks on what appears to be a link from a friend in a tweet or post, the scam begins.
That link redirects them to a bogus social media page where they can log in. They are then asked to verify a slew of data, where the worst damage can occur. The interface then prompts the user to enter credit card details, including the security code.
Online Scams
Children easily fall prey to scammers because they have not yet learned to be as cyber-aware as adults. Children can be offered games or items, by cybercriminals, in exchange for the credit card information of their parents.
Chat Rooms
Unchecked, children are inclined to make virtual friends in chat rooms, believing they are chatting with peers their age, when in fact they are chatting with cyber criminals or sex predators with malicious purposes.
Inappropriate Content
Children may easily come across inappropriate content on the internet. Adult or violent content can easily appear on a child’s computer or phone screen while surfing the internet, exposing the child to material that they may find difficult to process psychologically.
Online Grooming
Cyber predators hiding on various internet sites may befriend a child, gain trust over time, and eventually entice our children into sending images or even meeting in person.
Addiction
The internet, like drug and alcohol addiction, allows children and adolescents to escape painful feelings or troubling situations. They forego needed hours of sleep to spend time online, and they isolate themselves from family and friends to escape into a comfortable online world that they have created and shaped.
In Conclusion
With so many online threats hiding in plain sight, your children need to be protected in this digital age. Parents need to be vigilant and establish open channels of communication with their children to highlight the dangers lurking online.
Implementing monitoring solutions, not to invade their privacy, but to assist them in identifying risks, is a crucial part of this protection.
These solutions should be able to monitor content and block any content that is not safe for their consumption. By scheduling a specific time at which your child may have access to the internet or social media, device addiction can be prevented. Limiting the time your child has access to the screen.
Is your child does have an Instagram account but doesn’t want you to know? well we listed down on how to view private Instagram accounts without human verification in 2022.
Ella Marcotte
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