How to Protect Your Children Online

The internet is becoming an increasingly important part of the everyday lives of children and youth. It allows them to communicate and share with others.. Furthermore, they often have a variety of devices at their disposal, from computers and smartphones to tablets, allowing kids to interact with friends and family. Unfortunately, the internet can also pose several risks to the safety and privacy of children and youth.

What online dangers do youth face?

Online Communication and Cyberbullying

Children, and especially teenagers, primarily use the internet to communicate with their friends. They have at their disposal a wide range of applications and social networking platforms that allow them to share their everyday lives with those around them. Today, very few gaming or social networking platforms do not offer a chat option.

However, these means of online communication gives young people a sense of anonymity that can be misused to harm their peers.

Cyberbullying is a repeated and progressive form of abuse that can take many different forms - verbal, physical, emotional, and even sexual. Whether it is on social media, via text messages, or instant messaging, cyberbullying is characterized by aggression, insults, mockery, threats, or rumors. It also comes in the form of posting photographs or confidential information, hacking into accounts, or even stealing the victim's digital identity.

Cyberbullying often carries bullying outside of school, leaving no relief for the victim and may even have an impact on the private and family sphere.

Sexual Content

Children can be exposed to adult pornography online. Even if the content is legal, it can be harmful to the children who see it. Teenagers are naturally curious about sexuality and often turn to the internet for information. Unfortunately, they may be exposed to harmful graphic content that can shape and influence their perception of a healthy sexual relationship.

In addition to encountering sexually explicit content, children and youth may also come into contact with adults who are trying to abuse them sexually. These adults are attempting to normalize sexual relationships between adults and children.

Sexual offenders can use the internet and social media to lure young people in many ways:

• Engaging in online games that have a chat module
• Infiltrating social media platforms to communicate with children by pretending to be their age and then try to get the child to meet in person.

Publishing Private Information and Data

Children and adolescents may face various dangers related to sharing private information and data in their everyday use of the internet and social media. Very often, they don't understand that anything they post on social media or in general can be used without their control. They send naked pictures of themselves to their boyfriend/girlfriend or classmates without understanding that these images can easily be forwarded or shared online. They think that there is nothing wrong with sending nude or sexual photos or videos of people to their classmates when, in reality, this kind of activity is punishable by law.

Phishing and Scams

Phishing is a technique used by an individual via email, text message, or other online communication tools to get information. Phishing emails may include links to unsafe sites or attachments containing viruses and malware that can attack the home or child's computer. Other types of scams may also claim that there is a problem with your device to entice you to download harmful or unwanted software.

Although children and teenagers are less likely to use email in their daily lives, the risks involved can cause damage to their computers or the family computer. Such damages risk exposing parents' confidential information (bank account number, address, contact list, etc.)

Some Tips for Parents

It can be difficult for parents to understand how they can better protect their children online. While parents are responsible for their children's safety, they must also respect their growing independence and right to a certain degree of privacy.

The best way for parents to protect their children online is to communicate with them regularly and make them feel that they can come to you if they encounter problems or have questions. In cases of cyberstalking, whether they are victims or perpetrators, it is necessary to talk openly with them about it and find out what is going on in their social and academic life. Teaching children to be caring, both in-person and online, is necessary because although the internet provides a sense of anonymity, cyberstalking has a real impact on its victims.

Children and youth use several gaming and social media platforms. Parents need to educate themselves about how these platforms work, how to protect privacy, and how to use the chat features of each of these platforms to protect their children’s privacy. Parents also need to educate themselves about the functionality of web browsers and computers themselves. There are several options available to limit or block browsing on individual sites. Consider using them or check with your internet provider to learn more.

It is important to remember that it is extremely difficult to get rid of anything posted on the internet. Both parents and children need to be aware that what they post can stay there for the rest of their lives. It is, therefore, essential to think about the impact it may have on their future school and work life. At the same time, it is equally necessary for children to have a good knowledge of how to use computers to make the right decisions to protect themselves.

Educating children about online risks remains the most effective way to protect them. Such education must involve parents, guardians, educators, and trusted influencers in order to teach children and youth about the risks they may face in the presence of sexually explicit material or predators and fraudsters on the internet and how they can avoid them. It is also crucial to teach children how to communicate privately with known friends and how to be careful when sharing personal information online.

A few resources for parents :

• Cybertip.ca: This website allows you to report the sexual exploitation and luring of youth under the age of 18. It also offers tips and tools to better protect your children online.
• NeedHelpNow.ca: This site helps youth who have been victims of self or peer exploitation. It provides tips on how to stop the spread of photos.
• Protectkidsonline.ca: A site operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to help parents better protect their children online.
• Mediasmarts.ca: is a national public information program by Canada's Centre for Digital and Media Literacy. The site provides information to parents about the dangers of the internet for children. It offers practical tips and tools to help parents manage online use in their homes and teach their children to be savvy internet users.
• Zoeandmolly.ca: a playful website geared towards children in grades 3 and 4 to teach them how to protect themselves when they play online games and the risks associated with sharing personal information and photos online.
• Smartstrongsafe.ca:  geared towards youth in grades 5 and 6 to raise awareness about sexual exploitation and abuse.

Some resources if you are based in the U.S:

• NetSmartz: This website provides tips, videos, teaching resources for parents and kids on cyberbullying, sexting and social networks use.
• Onlinesafety.com: provides interactive quiz about online safety and allows reporting inappropriate correspondence between an adult and a child/teen 
• Police services in your city (911) 
• CyberTipline: is a reporting system for the online exploitations of children
• Team HOPE (or 866-305-HOPE (4673)): Provides emotional support for exploited child and their parents.
• Ikeepsafe.org: provides educational resources for parents, educators, and children on how to use media devices and platforms in a safe and healthy way.
• Connectsafely.org: provides educational tools for parents and educators about safety, privacy, and security.
• BrainPop Jr: is a fun educational website for kids. The technology section provides educational games on a wide range of computer use, programming, internet safety, etc.)  

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