Children and On-line Solicitation

It is estimated that approximately 10 million children have access to the internet, and spend time online, daily, in the United States.  Parents often allow their children to go online with supervision, as early as ages 5-8.  The internet for children is a fascinating, ever-changing wonderland of experiences. What child doesn’t love learning something new, watching amazing and colorful videos, playing games, and even, doing their homework, in cyberspace? They have a great affinity for, the Disney Channel, Disney XD, and being shown how to create unique projects on the PBS Kids Channel such as:  writing an on-line story book, testing objects for bacteria, mixing up a batch edible paint to put on toast, making it rain inside a bottle, building their own pillow fort, or watching videos of the latest music and dance trends.  Parents are often overwhelmed, and a bit envious, of all that the internet offers their child.  Tech savvy parents have found that there is much more than glittering content online, and danger is lurking there, for the unprepared user.

Safe Cyberspace, Media Content and Children

Media and technology are at the very epi-center of daily life, and keeping the usage of these incredible learning resources positive, safe, and down to a moderate level of interaction, which is considerably less than 50 hours a week, is a challenging task for parents.  Staying current and knowledgeable about this ever-changing, warp-speed, cyberspace, takes effort, focus, and dedication.  It is crucial for parents to keep in mind that the media content which an impressionable child observes, has an intense, and lasting impact on their cerebral, conceptual, rational, and social development.  It is essential that parents establish specific boundaries for safe interaction, online, and teach their children how to:  protect their privacy, practice kindness when posting, commenting or texting, and get familiar with using the guidance given to them, to stay safe, anonymous, and careful, as they navigate the magic, and avoid exposure to the murkiness of the digital world.

 

98% of the children who live in the United States, and are younger than age 8, have access to a variety of mobile devices in their environs, at school and at home.  Parents and teachers now clearly understand the necessity for security and privacy in any online interaction.

 

Facts Parents Need to Know

The results of a recent study which has been published by GuardChild, the PEW Institute, and a number of other qualified resources has indicated:

• One in five children between the ages of 10-17 has received sexual solicitations.
• 89% of all sexual solicitations of children are made in chat rooms, through e-mail, or from on-line messaging.
• More than 730,000 children have received unwanted, assertive, sexual solicitations
• The risk increases for solicitation, if a child is troubled due to a recent divorce, loss of a parent, relocation to a new city, or other serious stressors
• 30% of the young victims of sexual exploitation online are boys
• More on-line time presents greater risks for the child
• Girls receive more solicitation than boys
• As little as 5% of online predators pretend to be children
• Children who post personal information and photos, text rudely, and chat with strangers…all, are risky behaviors
• Use of media chat rooms and social networking web sites, needs strictly enforced parental guidelines that even the youngest user clearly understands.
• Predators use “grooming” techniques by starting personal conversations, requesting direct chats and pictures, and finally, asking to meet.
• 75% of children online give out personal information to predators who offer gifts and incentives to them
• 33% of children and teen users on Facebook, and other sites, have “friends” they don’t know.  Install strict privacy settings and “friend” your child on sites you feel are appropriate for their age and interests.

 

Develop a Strategy and Tools for Child Safety Online

One quarter of all the children who have been solicited online, have been badly frightened by the experience. The Journal of the American Medical Association’s most recent study, in June, revealed that parents do not use filters on their internet connections. Filters are valuable tools to help keep children safe. Filters can identify risks, 24/7, when a child is online.  86% of the girls in the JAMA study, acknowledged that they had online chats with strangers, without parental knowledge. Having thoughtful and thorough conversations about the fake identities that are used, not giving out locations, or even school names, and why some users ask inappropriate questions; all of these facts are trustworthy tools for a child to employ, when engaging in online activity.

Installing the Fipple app is one of the best proactive tools/methods for digitally parenting your child’s keystrokes to keep them safe, even when they don’t know they are at risk. Fipple’s input detection technology is able to utilize the positive benefits of internet connectivity, to identify inappropriate behavior, before it becomes problematic.

Finding numerous, thoughtful, up-to-date, wise and proactive approaches for using media, and all technological devices, will, in turn, garner a generation of intelligent children, who, without hesitation, employ critical and logical thinking, online, to act and interact responsibly, politely, and with tolerance, and respect for every culture and opinion.