Protecting the Next Generation: Make It Personal
We need to recognise the issues that are fundamental to protecting future generations and take advantage of all that the digital age provides.
The Internet has been a great transformer in changing the way we live, work and socialise. We regularly discuss the challenge of how organisations can protect themselves in the digital age and take advantage of all that the online world has to offer. However, as adults and parents, we need to recognise and address the issues that are fundamental to protecting our future generations so they too are able to thrive and take advantage of all that the digital age can provide.
The proliferation of online gaming, applications, social media, learning resources and other platforms has meant that children and young people under the age of 16 are spending more time on the Internet. A 2015 study conducted by Childwise reported that children aged 5-16 spend an average of six and a half days in front of a screen, compared with around three hours in 1995.
Increased time spent online means that the next generations are exposed to a vast number of opportunities, including communicating with friends and family from all over the world, playing games online and learning about an infinite number of subjects. However, the increased exposure and ability to develop their digital footprints has also resulted in children coming up against safety issues from a far younger age.
Educating our children and young people in online safety and digital literacy is an essential step in protecting them from these risks. Templar Executives recognises the importance of this and is proud to support Cyber Champions, a not-for-profit which promotes best practices in digital literacy and online safety to schools and communities across the UK. It does this by mobilising young professionals to deliver key messaging about online best practices and to act as business and IT role models for the younger generations.
This article is going to examine four dangers that our children and young people face when using the Internet; these are cyber-bullying, online gaming, inappropriate content and grooming and sexual abuse. We will provide practical advice on what you can do as a parent to prevent these situations from arising. It is important to note however, that there are many other risks children face online, and more information can be found on sites such as Think U Know.
Cyber-bullying
Bullying others online, known as ‘cyber-bullying’ has been a high profile topic for some time now, and it is a sad reality that we regularly hear stories about cyber-bullying affecting our children and young people. The i-SAFE foundation conducted a study showing that over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.
In order to tackle the issue, the first thing to realise is that online bullying might be just one part of bullying that's happening in their day-to-day lives, and there may be other underlying issues. If you believe your child is being bullied online, reassure them that you can help to remove the content that's upsetting them and block the person who made the comments. Another step is to look at the negative comments with them and contact the service provider to get them removed. Save the evidence by taking screen shots, and keep a diary of activity taking place. Lastly, contact their school to let them know about the incident, if you think it's appropriate.
On the other hand, as a parent, what should you do if you suspect that your child is bullying others online? If your child has been involved in bullying others online, find out whether other children were involved and what part your child played. They may not have realised that what happened was bullying. Tell them explicitly that this behaviour is not acceptable and the fact it is online does not mean it is not upsetting to the victim. It is important to explain that leaving someone out of an online discussion or group can be just as bad as attacking them directly. Encourage them to apologise to the person involved and help them to remove the content.
Inappropriate content
In 2013, more than 9,500 web pages were removed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) worldwide for having inappropriate content. Providing our children with uncontrolled access to the internet means they may access illegal or unsuitable content online which can include pornography, child abuse images and excessive violence or race hate materials. Not all these websites may show illegal content, as some may be legal but have unregulated advice which is meant for adults only.
In order to have meaningful conversations with our young people about online safety, we need to understand what activities they are doing online. The most obvious which springs to mind is the use of social media apps. However, it is important to recognise that the apps children use may differ from apps we use as adults. You will know of Facebook and Twitter, you may have heard of Snapchat, but do you know about Vine, ooVoo and BBM?
Upskilling yourself on the types of apps that are out there will make talking to your child easier. An online resource set up by Net-Aware focuses on apps which are most popular amongst children and young people and provides a review. For example, a review of Snapchat (an app which allows you to send a photo or short video to your friends for a matter of seconds before disappearing) has revealed that the top 3 concerns amongst children and young people were a lack of privacy, talking to strangers and inappropriate content. However, the top reasons why children use the site is because it allows them to communicate and share with others.
In order to prevent your child from viewing illegal or unsuitable content, make sure that your child is only accessing age-appropriate sites. For example, the minimum age for Facebook is 13-years old and over, which means that your child should not be accessing it below this age. Another step is to employ parental controls to filter, restrict, monitor or report content. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Sky or BT, provide controls to help you filter or restrict content.
Online gaming
Another great activity which children and young people enjoy is gaming online. However, many apps classified as ‘freemium’ are catching people out. Freemium is a pricing strategy whereby the original product is provided free of charge, but offers the chance to buy items such as extra lives or new levels. So, children may run up big bills without realising they are doing so.
One example of this is freemium app, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, which is rated on both the iTunes and Google Play stores as 4.5/5. Marketed as “life-ruiningly fun”, in March 2013 an 8-year old boy racked up a £1,000 bill on his parents iPad by buying virtual doughnuts on the game.
Stories like this make us ask important questions like, ‘how do I stop this happening to me?’. The first, most important step to take is not to not share your iTunes password or credit card details with your children. The second is another handy safeguard: Go to the Settings menu of your iPad (or iPhone / iPod touch), tap on General, then Restrictions. Tap on the Enable Restrictions button and choose a PIN (not the same one used to unlock the device). Then scroll down to the Allowed Content section, and either turn In-App Purchases off completely using the switch, or change the Require Password option to "Immediately" rather than "15 minutes". The PIN will ensure that only you can change these settings in the future. If you are using a different device, visit your provider’s website to find out more information.
Online grooming and sexual exploitation
Keeping in touch with friends and talking to people online can be fun, but sometimes people try to form relationships with children or young people for the wrong reasons. There are huge concerns about the increase in online grooming and sexual exploitation. In December 2015, the NSPCC reported that online grooming cases had increased by almost 50%. The research showed that girls appear to be particularly prone to being contacted via social networks, online game environments and other platfroms which are popular with children and young people. However, boys may be less likely to report their experiences and seek help.
It is very important that you know who your child is spending time with. Remind children to be careful of who they accept or add as a friend online, as people may not always be as truthful as your child or young person. If they see something online which makes them feel uncomfortable, remind them about the ‘CEOP Report’ button which allows them to report inappropriate online activity. This could be either sexual chat, being asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable or someone asking to meet up.
Conclusion
Keeping young people safe online and teaching them vital digital literacy skills will only become more important as technology advances and our lives become even more interdependent on the internet to conduct everyday activities. We have only covered four issues in this article, however there are many more which need to be considered. In order to have meaningful conversations with children and young people, let them know that you are always there to support them and they can talk to you if they ever feel worried or scared. In addition, it is imperative that, as parents and adults, we upskill ourselves at home and at work so we have an awareness and understanding, in our own right, of best practices when it comes to using the internet and social media.
