CHILDREN’S PRIVACY AND MYTHS
Reasons Why You Should Concerned About Children's Privacy on Internet
The privacy online is a bit like the weird uncle of the family: it is difficult to understand and strange only when it is no longer. Like him, privacy on the internet can sound a bit paranoid. Predators on the internet. Online security. Theft of data. These issues involve many topics and can be confusing, so they are easy to overlook. However, the strange uncle may not be completely insane. What your child posts online can end up in the wrong hands and affect their future, safety, and reputation. It can be difficult to deal with the weird guy, so here are six reasons why you should be concerned about online safety.
They can hurt you. Social
networks that have access to the physical location of their users such as
Twitter, Facebook, Find my Friends, and Gone Out - Later Folks can show your
child's location to all their contacts, many of whom they don't know personally.
Imagine he posts a 'selfie' where he labels where he is, where he says 'here
alone, looking for something fun to do'.
Your child could miss out on
opportunities. Posting crazy and extreme party photos paint a negative story
for potential employers, college admissions officers, and others your teen
would like to impress. They may not care that your child is partying, but they
did have the lack of judgment to post compromising images.
They can scam you. More and more
schools are using digital tools to teach, diagnose learning problems, and
interact with their students. This means that they are saving personal
information, progress reports and other reports that some sellers would like to
get their hands on. Let's say your child has a specific problem that is being
monitored by software their school uses. The software company may sell this
specific information to a third party who can take advantage of your
vulnerabilities as a parent.
Your child can be tagged. When
schools automate their procedures, they create reports with sensitive and
potentially negative information. Information that falls into the wrong hands,
such as an individual education plan (IEP), behavior report, or even their body
mass index can unfairly disqualify your child from new opportunities.
Your child can be humiliated.
Sharing fun things about your life with friends is fine, but sharing too much
is never a good idea. When children share inappropriate content, whether it's a
sexy selfie, an explicit session with a friend, a complaint in which they share
more than they should, or cruel comments about others, the results can be
humiliating if these posts are made public or they share with many people. Talk
to your children about the importance of keeping private matters private and
considering how far and for how long information can travel. It is also
important to explain to them how to talk to their friends about respecting each
other's online privacy. Parental controls
5 Myths & Truths about Child Safety on the Internet using
Parental controls:
If you believe everything you
hear about child safety on the Internet, you might think that pedophiles and
cyber bullies are just around the corner. The truth is that there are bad
things, but there are also many good things on the Internet. Some experts are
even trying to combat a "tech panic state of mind" that worries
parents unnecessarily. The starting point is that we cannot keep our children
safe without knowing the facts. These are the five most popular myths about child
safety on the Internet and the truths that can alleviate and even eliminate
your worries.
Myth: Social media turns kids
into cyber bullies.
Reality: There are several reasons
why a child or youth can be a cyber bully. Social media is a convenient way to
do your dirty work.
The truth is that children who
engage in this type of behavior typically have other reasons for the behavior.
They could be in a crisis at home, school, or socially. They could also be
bullies in person, or they may not have developed levels of empathy. Being
aware of the circumstances of Cyberbullying - although we do not justify this
behavior in any way - can help parents and educators to recognize the red flags
so that they can intervene before the situation becomes too complicated.
Myth: Teaching children that
only avoiding communication with strangers is the best way to stay safe online.
Reality: Teaching children to
recognize predator behavior will help them avoid malicious questions and
requests.
In today's world, when children
as young as 8 years old are interacting with strangers online, they need to
know what the boundaries are between an appropriate conversation and one that
is not. We suggest that you go beyond the danger of strangers and teach them
what kinds of questions are appropriate. For example, the following are
inappropriate questions and should arouse suspicion: Are you a boy or a girl?
Would you like to have a private conversation? What clothes are you wearing
today? Where do you live? Also teach your children not to search the Internet
for dangerous situations. Keep in mind that risky relationships online most
often develop in chat rooms where teens are of their own free will seeking or
having sexual conversations.
Myth: Boys act worse when they
are on the Internet.
Reality: Most minors say that
their friends or colleagues are nice to each other when they are online.
We know that most kids want to
have fun, hang out and socialize normally when online, and in fact, according
to the Pew Research Internet project, that is what most are doing. Check out
these stats:
·65% of teens using social media say they have had a feel-good
online experience.
·58% say they feel closer to a person after an experience on a
social network.
·80% of adolescents who have witnessed aggressive and cruel
behavior on a social network have come
to the defense of the friend who is being attacked.
There are also many young people
who have fought Cyberbullying and used the Internet to support a social cause.
More and more often, kids are discovering and profiting from the
Internet-connected world, busting a few myths along the way.
Myth: It is dangerous to post
photos of your children on the Internet.
Reality: If you use the privacy
options, limit your audience and don't identify your children, it is quite
safe.
There are two types of parents:
those who love to post photos of their children and those who think that doing
so is getting into trouble. Although we know that when posting something on the
Internet there are always some risks, there are ways to prevent risks if you act
smart and know how to do it.
· Use the privacy settings: Make sure the privacy settings are
filtering what you post so that only the closest people in your group of
contacts can see it.
·Limit your audience: only share photos with close friends and
family. You can also use photo sharing sites like Picasa or Flickr where a
password is required and be part of the site in order to view the photos.
· Do not rush to get your children to enter social networks.
Respect the rule that children under 13 should not be on social media. Once your
children have a profile on a social network, they can be tagged, which
magnifies their presence on the Internet. If you are going to upload photos of
them, do not identify them and do not tag them, that way the photos cannot be
tracked and connected to them.
Myth: Parental controls are the
best way to monitor my children's activities online.
Reality: Focusing on just one way
to provide Internet security will make you feel confident and give you a false
sense of security.
To keep your kids safe online and
to raise them to be responsible and respectful digital citizens, you need a lot
more than just using parental
controls.
These controls can be easily
circumvented by determined children. In addition, these child safety controls
on the Internet stop a lot on their filters so that any search on the Internet
can be almost useless. Also, it can create a "parent versus child"
dynamic that can backfire.
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