Written by Laura Bottom, SIU School of Medicine
Many parents monitor with whom their children play, where they go, what kind of music they listen to and the types of television programs they watch. Children are taught not to answer the door if they’re home alone and not to talk to strangers or give out information over the telephone.
But even caring parents can be unaware of dangers under their own roofs, literally at their children’s fingertips.
The Internet has changed the way we see the world and has created innumerable ways to communicate, gather information and make purchases. Unfortunately, along with this new wealth of access, children and adolescents can fall prey to predators lurking within the realm of cyberspace. Seemingly harmless computer activity can become dangerous for kids without the proper supervision and education.
Some online risks include:
– Cyber bullying
– Inappropriate chat room conversations and/or promotion of hate or violent behavior
– Easy access and exposure to pornographic materials
– Child predators posing as peersPhoto sharing that could prove regrettable later
– Disclosure of personal or household information to an unknown source and risk of identity theft
– Less time used for physical activity
– Lost time for developing social skills, face-to-face interaction and body language cues
Meghan Golden, a behavioral health consultant at SIU Center for Family Medicine/Memorial Counseling Associates, suggests some common sense parental supervision be applied to computer activity. “Bullying and other predatory activity has made it more important than ever for parents to ensure that they are able to see their children and adolescents’ online activity,” says Golden. “This can make it possible for parents to model appropriate online behavior and, if needed, take steps to protect their children from potential danger.”
To help children safely use the Internet and social networking sites, the experts at SIU recommend that parents:
– Limit the amount of computer time
– Explain the importance of keeping personal information private
– Teach them to never meet with anyone they’ve met online
– Use parental control features
– Remind children that not everything they read online is true
– Teach them to only post information they are comfortable with everyone seeing
– Monitor the content of the child’s personal social media page
– Teach children to use the same courtesy as if they were talking to someone in person
– Consider investing in web filtering programs to block inappropriate content on home computers
“The communication and research abilities of modern computers and smartphones are amazing, but having access to too much information can be a bad thing, especially when it comes to inappropriate websites,” says Michael Goldberg, a behavioral health consultant at the SIU Center for Family Medicine.
Goldberg warns parents to keep an eye on how their children are using their smartphones, too. If necessary, parents can consult their wireless providers about limiting Internet access for certain lines on their plans. Phones without access to the Internet or social media are also available.
With all of the technology available today, children are bound to surf the web and interact through social media pages. A smart parent makes sure his or her child does it in a respectful, safe and positive way.
Copyright © SIU School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois