Parental Control To Protect Children Among Cyber Predators

 Parental Control To Protect Children Among Cyber Predators

 

The number of threats that threaten our children on the Internet continues to multiply. Discover everything you need to know to protect them from them.

 

My job is to help families develop positive digital habits, manage screen time, and regain control of their everyday interactions with technology. Achieving digital balance is essential when it comes to protecting their mental health, promoting healthy relationships and ensuring the correct development of the little ones.

I am also a mother, so I know from experience how difficult it is to try to find a healthy balance when it comes to using technology at home, and I understand parents' concerns about the dangers of the Internet. During the application of social distancing measures and quarantine, an increase in cybercrimes and the dissemination and demand for inappropriate content, including images related to pedophilia, has been detected. The distribution of these types of files has also increased, as well as the number of cases of cyber deception for sexual or criminal purposes. While all of these cyber threats may seem remote or too horrible to think about at times, the truth is that none of us are safe, and as parents we have a responsibility to protect the safety of our families.  

This is not a mere perception. The statistics do not lie. Between March and April 2020, the BBC found that the number of complaints related to the distribution of pornography on the network had doubled in the UK to more than 4 million per month. A figure that adds to the statistics of a country in which 300,000 individuals are considered a threat to children and in which this April there were about 8.8 million attempts to access pornography web pages children that had previously been blocked by the Internet Watch Foundation.  

According to a recent report by the 5Rights Foundation in response to a British government query on the threats minors have been exposed to online during the pandemic, the UK is not the only country facing this problem: 

• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States received 4.2 million complaints related to cases of alleged child sexual exploitation in April , an increase of almost 3 million compared to April of the previous year.
• InHope , a network of 46 national centres dedicated to combating the sexual exploitation of children, claims that these types of cases have increased by 30% worldwide during the pandemic.

With children now spending more time indoors and connected to the Internet, they are easy prey for predators who try to trick them for sexual or criminal purposes. Now that they no longer have the school's safety net, an environment in which it is easier for them to share their concerns with their teachers and friends, they may find it more difficult to talk openly about negative experiences they have had on the Internet. which tend to weaken their confidence and self-esteem. This brief study analyzes the psychological consequences suffered by children who have been victims of this type of predator. 

The number of cases of sexual cyberbullying and bullying is increasing. The Australian eSafety commissioner reports that cyberbullying cases increased by 50% during the first three weeks of the quarantine, and a study on digital toxicity levels carried out by L1ght, an emerging company dedicated to artificial intelligence, has detected that hate speech and the use of offensive language skyrocketed 70% among children and adolescents in March this year.  

Meanwhile, technology companies and security forces in different countries are facing serious difficulties in keeping up with these changes. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) says that the number of files identified as child pornography and deleted fell by up to 89% over a four-week period during the start of the quarantine, not because the content was not harmful, but due to the lack of personnel of these bodies.

How can you help protect the safety of your children on the Internet?

1. Talk to them about the real risks of going online , including cyber predators, harmful content, and theft of personal data. Many young people may believe that they are completely safe from these threats, but the reality is that we are all vulnerable on the Internet. 

2. Pay attention to the signs that indicate that your child may be the victim of some kind of exploitation through the Internet . The Children's Society advises parents to be vigilant for any of the following red flags:

• Talk about new friends or adults you have met on the Internet
• Talk about gifts or money you have received online
• Shows an introverted and reserved demeanor
• You have a new phone or more than one phone
• Receive a large number of calls or messages
• You are worried about the idea of ​​not being able to use the phone

3. Understand the apps and games your child uses. Remember that many games often have messaging functions or chat rooms, where extra strangers can contact your children. Set the appropriate privacy settings and keep the location settings off.

4. Use parental control applications like Qustodio to monitor your Internet activity . Use the information they provide about the kinds of videos they watch or the games they play to encourage communication in the family and help them develop healthy habits.  

5. Protect your family from cyber fraud by reviewing the privacy settings of your applications and using unique and secure passwords. Don't trust unwanted email messages and update the antivirus software on your devices. And trust your instincts. If something gives you a bad feeling, even if it seems completely "normal," it most likely isn't.