Online spaces can present many benefits and opportunities to young people, particularly for children in care. Positive online networks can help to reduce physical and psychological isolation, and can provide organizational support as children become more independent. Children can study, explore ideas, and express themselves artistically using the internet as a resource. The internet is essential for a kid’s social development since it helps them improve their communication skills, as when they play games or talk with pals.
After online sleuths became aware of a troubling tendency, a 3-year-old girl unintentionally started a widespread social media movement of mothers deleting public images and videos of their kids online.On the short-form video platform owned by her mother, Jacquelyn, the 3-year-old TikTok star at the center of the campaign, @wren.eleanor, has more than 17 million followers.Wren’s mother, on the other hand, began deleting some content after her followers and other TikTok sleuths noticed that certain videos were being saved by other users in alarming numbers. Users can tag videos with the “save” feature to make them easier to find and refer to later.
Normal security measures may not be adequate when a child is using your computer. Due to their inherent traits of innocence, curiosity, independence, and fear of punishment, children pose additional difficulties. When deciding how to safeguard your information and the child, you must take into account these traits. You could believe that a youngster can’t hurt someone if they are just engaged in innocent activities like playing a game, doing research for a term paper, or typing up a homework project. But what if a child accidentally deletes a crucial program file while saving their paper? What if they accidently access a harmful website and a virus is installed on your computer as a result? These are just two potential outcomes. Children often make mistakes, but they may not be aware of what they’ve done or may choose not to tell you what happened out of fear of punishment.
Online child predators are one of the online threats to your kids. Online interactions might introduce your child to people who are not who they say they are and who can target them for predatory behavior. These types of online predators typically create a false online persona in order to establish an emotional connection with their vulnerable, youthful prey.
Cyberbullying is another way your kids can face Danger online. Cyberbullying refers to abusive messages sent through digital channels such as emails, instant messaging, and social media posts. Like with any type of bullying, cyberbullying can be extremely upsetting for kids, particularly if it takes place in public.
As unpleasant posts can be shared numerous times, these communications can quickly reach a large audience. It is challenging to police because the offender can continue to operate and still be anonymous
The role of parents and how can they help their kids protect themselves
Here are some of the few things you can put in place for protecting kids from online threats.
- Sit down with your child and go about the dangers of developing friends online, including those they have never met in person and those from their past. Inform them that the same laws that apply offline also apply online and that the restrictions are in place to protect them.
- Make sure their social media privacy settings are private so that only individuals they know and trust can view information about them. Most sites offer instructions on how to do this. Look at this with them if necessary.
- If someone contacts them online who is not supposed to, ask them to let you know (like their birth family). Request that they ignore them or accept them as a friend.
- Tell them they won’t cause trouble, that you can assist them, and that if they want to stay in touch, a compromise might be possible.
- It is your responsibility to notify your child’s social worker of any inappropriate interaction with family members or others.
Added guidance and assistance
It is advisable to stay on the safe side and learn more if you are concerned about your child and believe something is not quite right. You can utilize additional tools to oversee and/or restrict your child’s internet behavior. Some ISPs provide services aimed at safeguarding children online. To find out if any of these services are offered, get in touch with your ISP. You can install specialized software applications on your computer as well. You can choose the program that best meets your demands by comparing its features and capabilities.
