With the wee one growing up faster than I ever thought possible, I’m already starting to think about her online safety. She’s almost four and uses my tablet more than either her mother or I do, knows how to find anything she wants on YouTube or Netflix (even though she can’t read or write yet), and can download, install, and play pretty much any game from the PlayStore. Even though we’re always around and I’m proud of the way she has mastered the tablet at such an early age, I also feel the need to be constantly vigilant.
My increasing paranoia is fueled by the fact that the Internet can be a scary place for adults, let alone for kids. This was brought home by some sobering statistics I came across the other day on SafeAtLast:
- 70% of kids encounter sexual or violent content online while doing homework research
- 17% of tweens (age 8-12) received an online message with photos or words that made them feel uncomfortable, only 7% of parents were aware of this
- 65% of 8-14 year-olds have been involved in a cyberbullying incident
- 36% of girls and 31% of boys have been bullied online
- 16% of high school students have considered suicide because of cyberbullying
- 75% of children would share personal information online in exchange for goods and services
The same article also included an Infographic on the subject, with some great ideas on how to keep kids safe online. You can also check out a text-based version of it on SafeAtLast with more statistics and ideas on how to protect your kids online or visit VPMmentor for the ultimate guide on promoting child safety!
Nicholas C. Rossis 
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Reblogged this on Legends of Windemere and commented:
This is very useful.
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I have no children to worry about, but this is indeed a timely warning, Nicholas. I watched a BBC news report recently about the increase in ‘video sex’, with girls as young as 7 exposing themselves in response to online requests in chat rooms and forums. Some slightly older girls (12-14) are even running ‘webcam sex sites’ through social media apps, where they respond to sexual requests in return for money or gifts. I was amazed how widespread this is in the UK.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Dear God! I’m not easily shocked but this is appalling 😦
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If it is like this in the UK, I can only imagine what must be happening in the poorer, ‘third world’ countries. If I had children, I think I would impose the very strictest parental controls on their online activity, until they were at least 16.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Reblogged this on Not Tomatoes.
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This isn’t currently an immediate concern of mine (my kids are in college and I don’t have grandchildren yet) but it’s still frightening to read those statistics. And I suspect it will get worse before it gets better (if ever). I really hate that there are people who take something intended for good and using it for evil.
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Isn’t that (or something to that effect) what Einstein supposedly said upon witnessing the first nuclear explosion?
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It is. And these online safety issues may be just as destructive.
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi Author & Book Blogger.
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This is so important. Thank you, Nicholas.
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Thank you so much, Jennie! On one hand, I hope no one needs it. On the other, I hope it’s useful to people 🙂
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You’re welcome, Nicholas. And I know exactly what you mean.
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It’s a scary topic, all right. It’s something we deal with in schools every day. Kids have technology, given them by their parents, that we are limited in our ability to control. For instance, we can confiscate cel phones that are used inappropriately (ie: watching videos instead of participating in class activities) but at the end of the day we have to return that to the parents. The parents give it right back to the kid, and the same thing happens over and over.
To make matters worse, this is the ideal topic to be taught in school library classes, yet my own district has just dismissed all the librarians as a cost-saving measure. What would we “save” in lost educational time and classroom drama if we taught kids how to protect their privacy and how to block cyber-bullies.
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Wow! I can’t believe how myopic your district is being!!! I’m so sorry to hear that, Deby. It’s a sad world when knowledge is fought instead of encouraged 😦
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The public is pushing back against cutting all librarians, but districts can be unfortunately stubborn about such matters.
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Not just the districts. I read a quote by a Senator who asked why we should study history, since it’s in the past. I never expected to see blatant ignorance become something to be proud of…
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Thanks for drawing attention to a serious danger and the complexities of protecting kids at different ages. The internet is rife with predators.
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It can be a scary place, alright.
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As a grandparent, these statistics are scary, Nicholas! My 13 year-old grandson is writing code and he takes care of all my computer upgrades and issues. It’s crazy!
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Wow! That’s one smart kid 🙂
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These are startling statistics! We have to make sure we do everything we can to protect our babies. Documentaries like Abducted in Plain Sight and abuse by priests, and the docu-series about R. Kelly and Michael Jackson helps me to see just how long our children have suffered abuse and the internet exposes them to even more dangers. I recently saw a video that helps parents talk to their children about these dangers. Here’s a link: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/children/become-jehovahs-friend/videos/protect-your-children/#?insight%5Bsearch_id%5D=83c4f2af-217a-4274-8328-85645a7a27f5&insight%5Bsearch_result_index%5D=3
I don’t have children of my own, but I see I have to be more watchful over my nieces and goddaughters.
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Many thanks for sharing that, Heather!
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Hi Nicholas.
Great post. Anything that raises awareness is brilliant I would like to warn parents however of the dangers of trusting software and apps that promote child safety. They are by no means foolproof and many use them to appease their consciences. We know it’s wrong to leave children in front of computers or glued to phones, not just from a danger point of view but also in terms of social development.
There is only one way forward and that is to to petition for legislation that will force social media companies to enforce a ban on all minors. We do it for alcohol and tobacco so why not this? It is the only way forward and is easily implemented with Age Verification tools. I have started a site that aims to raise the necessary numbers to do exactly that. We’ve just launched and I’d love it if you stopped by and had a look. All support from concerned parents goes towards ensuring our children’s future safety. Kind regards. Robert.
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Thank you, Robert!
With all respect, I personally believe in education rather than bans. My 4-year-old uses my tablet all the time, but always in my presence. I have seen first-hand what a great learning tool it has been for her. When she has a question, we watch a video on that. For example, last week she asked me what a tornado is and I showed her some tornado video clips, explained how the wind works, and even introduced some basic concepts about the cycle of water. And she’s one of the most sociable kids I know (kindergarten has helped a lot, of course).
So, to me, computers, phones, etc are just tools. The question is how we use them; not whether children should be allowed near them.
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Hi Nicholas. I couldn’t agree more with you, it’s the most powerful learning tool we’ve ever created. I think you misunderstood the gist of what we are about. We want to restrict Social Media usage to 18 and over. It’s not going to solve the problem but will cut off a shopping channels for the millions of perverts out there. I have no issue with the internet and have raised four happy sons now all over 18, none of who have Facebook accounts but spend hours online gaming and YouTubing. First granddaughter has arrived and the cycle repeats itself, only the risks have increased exponentially. For every responsible parent out there, there are thirty who choose to ignore the risk, some even using the medium to peddle their children. I am currently engaged with a project surrounding this in the Philippines and it would give you sleepless nights if you saw the results firsthand. It’s not about the children like ours who are privileged enough to receive proper guidance, it’s about those parents who care enough to instruct their children standing up for those who do not have the same care. We no longer live in an insular society and the effects of the abuse catch up to us in different ways.
Thanks for the reply and I love the blog. I can see the joy you get out of the experience.
Happy trails.
Rob.
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Thank you, Rob! You’ve certainly given me much to consider.
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