Five Things to Protect Your Kids from Online

Child Predators 

You’ve been hearing it since the 90s: there are scary strangers online. With modern inventions, it appears we’ve forgotten all about this. These days, we think nothing of finding strangers from the internet and getting in their car—in fact, Uber’s nearly replaced taxi services! And don’t even get us started on Airbnb. However, it’s important to remember that, even though we don’t think much of putting our last names online anymore, or talking to someone on Reddit, there still are dangers, specifically in the form of people. A lot of child predators lurk Instagram and YouTube, looking for family videos that most people would consider to be innocent. Not only should children be careful of what they post online, parents should also be careful not to post information that may compromise the child’s safety. For example, many parents and children do not realize just how easy it is for predators to find children they’ve seen online based on shockingly little information. Monitor your child’s social media activity. Make sure you know everyone on their friend list, and make sure they understand that they aren’t to speak with strangers online. Lastly, make sure that you and your child aren’t posting any information that could compromise their safety.  

Graphic Content 

Content that contains gratuitous violence, sexuality, or gore can be extremely damaging to a developing mind. Such content can not only traumatize a child, but it can have a lasting impact on them as they transition into adulthood. Parents ought to think two—maybe even three times—before allowing their child to have unfettered access to a smartphone or a computer. If you decide that your child is allowed to have a smartphone or a computer, you may want to consider putting appropriate filters on the computer to ensure that the child does not stumble upon content that could harm their development. When it comes to graphic content, the stuff your child may see online isn’t necessarily the only concern. Violent video games may have a negative impact on some children. It’s important that parents can feel assured that their children aren’t being exposed to gratuitous content either online or in video game form. 

Sextortion Scams 

Sextortion scams are unfortunately causing large numbers of teenagers to end their lives. Teenagers have sadly made up the majority of the victims of these, but adults can also be victims. Typically, the victim will meet someone online posing as a romantic interest. The romantic interest isn’t another teenager or a genuine romantic interest at all—it’s typically a scammer. They pressure the victim into sending racy pictures or videos, then they threaten to post the content online unless the victim is willing to pay a small price. Tragically, this has caused many teenagers to decide to end their lives. It is important to discuss these types of scams with your teenager so that they understand the dangers involved with speaking to strangers online. Teenagers need to understand that they should never take revealing photographs or videos of themselves as it could result in bullying, extortion, and, in some cases, the teenager could face criminal consequences depending on the situation. Unfortunately, the scammers in these sextortion scams are often unable to be traced or punished, as they typically do not reside in America. This can make personal injury claims, such as a wrongful death claim, impossible to file. If your child has been injured or harmed via a scam like the aforementioned, your child may have little to no recourse.  

Cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying can have a massive impact on your child. With AI, TikTok, smartphones, and more, it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon. Parents need to be involved with their child’s online habits, especially if it appears that your child is experiencing bullying online. Unfortunately, children still do commit suicide due to online harassment. And, perhaps even more unfortunately, children who are being bullied online may be safer deactivating their social media accounts. It’s not fair: the children who bully get to enjoy social media, but the children experiencing bullying are often kept off social media for their own safety. The problem with social media is that, unlike schools, social media isn’t monitored by adults. The bullies can’t (and won’t) be suspended for what they do and say outside of school unless the parents of the bully enforce consequences. For many parents of bullies, it comes as a surprise to them that their child is engaging in this behavior in the first place.   

Predatory Ideologies 

Predatory ideologies such as ones that promote genuine racism, misogyny, or hatred have begun to influence children in shocking ways. Children commonly lack the critical thinking skills to understand that these influencers represent fringe movements that are not socially acceptable and that are hazardous beliefs that may, in later years, require therapy to correct. While you can’t infringe on the free speech of others, you can be actively involved in ensuring that the content your child is viewing isn’t inappropriate or harmful.  

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