6 dangers that threaten a child on the Internet

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

From viruses and offensive comments to dangerous experiments and fraud.

1. Insults, bullying

Imagine: you are walking down the street, and towards you, smiling, a grandmother with a dog. And suddenly, having caught up with you, she begins to shower you with choice curses: she criticizes your hairstyle, clothes, gait, nose shape and generally behaves simply indecently.

In life, such situations are extremely rare, but on the Internet they happen all the time. And so a child uploads a video on YouTube or a photo on social networks, and someone leaves offensive comments under them.

Such messages can greatly upset and hurt the child, as well as reduce his self-esteem.

What to do

If a child says that he is being bullied on the Internet, in any case do not answer in the spirit of “Well, what did you want? Be strong, be patient."

Another answer would be unsuccessful: “Come on, this is just a comment. Nonsense, never mind. " So you will only show that the parent will not bother with such a "trifle" as the child's experiences.

Be sure to listen. Complain or delete comments that upset him or her together. Show how to block offenders and add them to the blacklist.

2. Dangerous experiments

You went to work, and the child saw enough videos on how to make a cannon that shoots potatoes, or how to experiment with vinegar, and decided to experiment. As a result, there was a hole in the kitchen table, and the child burned his fingers. It's good that he didn't burn down the apartment.

Of course, it's more important for bloggers to make a funny and engaging video than a scientific and serious one. Therefore, they often disregard safety rules and motivate child spectators to do the same. Everything looks great on the screen, but in reality, the child is putting himself and others in danger.

What to do

Watch these videos with your child. Draw his attention to safety precautions and to the fact that such experiments can only be carried out with the warning of the parents. Speak in advance what you can do without you (for example, experiments with salt dissolution), and what you should never do (for example, work with fire).

The same can apply to videos in which people perform deadly actions: climb high-rise buildings, run across rails in front of a train, and so on. Discuss how the authors of such content are guided and how it may end for those who want to repeat.

3. Viruses

You taught your child how to use a search engine, and now he can not only search the Internet for materials for abstracts, but also download music or games. And then the computer starts to slow down and freeze, and advertising banners appear on the screen every now and then, blocking all the work (and it's good, if not with adult content).

What to do

First, be sure to install an antivirus on your computer.

Secondly, ask your child what he needs to download: pictures, music, videos? Together, make a list of sites you trust. Agree that without you the child will download something only from there, and if in doubt, let him ask you first. Also think about what content your child is consuming. If you yourself watch TV shows on Netflix or listen to music on Google Play, create a separate profile for your child. A good option is to get a family subscription.

4. Adult content

Children do not always get to such content consciously. It happens that a child was looking for pictures of trains, and came across a photo with a corpse on the rails. And sometimes the child realizes that you can find anything on the Internet and starts looking for something purposefully, for example, candid photos and videos.

What to do

I advise you to take into account the age of the child. For children under 9, block adult content with parental controls. If the kids are older, the choice is yours: either keep blocking, or take control and take risks. This does not mean that you have to close your eyes and let the child watch whatever. This means realizing that a child may accidentally or on purpose find adult content, and realizing that his psyche is mature enough to digest it.

The minimum I advise you to do is to set Safe Search mode on Google and Safe mode on YouTube. And from time to time to view the search history in the browser.

And, of course, it is worth talking to the child “about it”.

5. Fraud

If the child began to ask more often to put money on his phone, it is possible that he accidentally signed up for a paid service that charges them daily. Or maybe his social network page was stolen.

Children do not always realize that intangible things - passwords, keys - have real value. This is what Internet fraudsters use. Getting hit is pretty simple:

• Send SMS with a message to a specific number. This is enough to activate a paid service.
• Transfer bank card details. This is enough to make a purchase on the Internet. By the way, even if you have configured confirmation of purchases from your phone, it is not required for foreign stores - money can be written off without confirmation.
• Enter the password on an open Wi-Fi network or on someone else's computer. If you neglected the security measures, your social media account or mail could be taken away.

What to do

Do not give your children your bank cards, even if you need to pay for a purchase agreed with you in advance. All payments on game accounts must also be made only by an adult!

Agree that you will regularly check the connected communication services on the child's phone. Teach children to create strong passwords for their accounts (not 12345 and qwerty) and explain why they shouldn't even be shared with friends.

6. Contacts with strangers

At the beginning of the school year, someone who introduces himself as a new classmate writes to your child on social networks and asks for his home address so that he can go to school together. Such a "classmate" can be anyone. For example, an adult who plans a kidnapping and for this he finds out the address and route to school.

Or the child decides to shoot a tour of the house to post it on YouTube, and the video clearly shows expensive equipment, jewelry, and so on. After watching such a video, the attacker will be able to draw up a diagram of the apartment and plan a robbery.

What to do

Keep track of who your child is communicating with on social media. Explain that the real photo on the avatar does not mean that the person is real.

Listen to children. If a child asks you to go to the movies with him five times, and you are always busy, at some point he will stop “pulling” you. And in this case, he may be very happy with the support of a stranger on the Web.

If you notice that your child is regularly texting someone, talk about it, just as calmly as possible: “How did you meet? In your opinion, can you trust him? Have you met offline? The worst reaction is to attack, having caught the child in such communication, and scold. It will close and tell you nothing more. If the child does not respond to a calm conversation and continues to correspond with someone who seems suspicious to you, I strongly advise you to go to a child psychologist and ask for advice on what can be done.

conclusions

1. From time to time, discuss the dangers your child may face online. Listen to his opinion, share yours. It is useful to watch together videos that your child likes and discuss them calmly, without judgment.
2. Spend time in person with your child - no siblings, no siblings. It is important for children at times to be only with mom or only with dad. Do something fun together: go to the movies, go on an excursion, take a day trip, or simply take a new route.
3. Follow digital hygiene: install antivirus, parental control programs, check your browser history. If the child is reluctant to do so, explain that it is your parental right. When he grows up and will live separately, then he will have his own rules, but for now, the framework is determined by you.

The Internet is indeed a toxic environment, but completely isolating children from it is not an option. Better to build a relationship of trust so that your child can talk to you about anything that confuses or worries him.