When kids go online they are susceptible to meeting strangers. In real life, parents teach them not to talk and trust them. In the internet world, however, these rules change. Kids talk and befriend strangers thinking it is only virtual so it won’t cause any harm. But online strangers are equally dangerous.
Kids meet them through online games, chat rooms, anonymous messaging apps and social media. Some kids like to talk to unknown people and discover new things. Some kids find the anonymity comforting and talk about sensitive issues they otherwise can’t. What they forget is not every person they talk to over the internet is honest. They might be talking to a kid of their own age and in reality, that person is a pedophile or child kidnapper.
This Infographic shows:
- 69% teens receive messages from strangers on different social media sites.
- 8% teens have shared their numbers online.
- 58% share their location.
Kids share personal information publicly which allows the predators to locate them. Often they become friends with the kids and talk them into sharing addresses, numbers, school names, etc. They can use this info to threaten and harass them. 19% of teens have been harassed online. In worst scenarios, they kidnap them. Cases have been reported in which kids were abducted, assaulted and threatened to share private photos with online strangers.
Considering these hazards, it is advised to parents to watch their kids’ online behavior. A digital way, such as a parental control app is effective for parental check and control.
How does it work?
Parental control app like FamilyTime let parents track their online activity and control any behavior which may be harmful to them. An app is more effective as it gives deeper insight into the kids’ lives and parents can do it from their own devices.
What can you do?
- You can track their call logs, contacts, and text messages to keep an eye on suspicious numbers and any signs of threats, bullying or sexting through texts.
- Put the suspicious contacts on alert and get notified on any interaction with those contacts.
- You can monitor their web activity such as browser history and bookmarks. This helps to know if they are going to chat rooms or online gaming sites.
- View their installed apps and block the apps which expose them to strangers.
- Track their location and get panic alerts.
- Geofence places and receives check-ins/checkouts.
Kids are naïve and they also tend to hide information from their parents. So it becomes necessary to use an app to do the work. It is better to be preventive.
Keep the online predators at bay!
As much as we don’t want to think it can happen to our kids, the sad truth is it can. Talk to them about the importance of monitoring. Tell them about all the dangers. Educate them about sharing online and keep a check yourself. Kids are kids, after all, they don’t always realize what’s best for them. That is why parents need to be careful. Use a parental control app and keep those predators away from your kids!
