How Children And Teens Can Protect Themselves Online

Today, young people live in a digital world where the internet is widely accessible to them. From the moment a toddler was entertained by a YouTube video of a nursery rhyme, he’s already been exposed to the world wide web. In a short while, he will learn how to navigate a smartphone on his own and find videos he likes. This is a great advantage for him to be knowledgeable about technology at a young age. Using the internet for educational purposes should be the initial reason why teens were allowed to have access online. However, since not everything they do online can be tracked, they are exposed to the dangers of the internet. Knowing the consequences of their actions online, young people may be able to protect themselves against online vulnerabilities. With the help of their parents or guardians, they should learn how to be a responsible internet user.

The Internet as Part of Our Everyday Life

We are undeniably living in a digital era. Life has been easier with technology. When you wake up in the morning, the first thing that you’ll probably look at is your smartphone. Most of the things that you need and want to do, can be done in your smartphone. From checking the time, checking your emails, reading the news, calling your mom, setting up a reminder for picking up a gift to someone, or even checking how you look through your smartphone camera – all these things can be done in your smartphone. And most of these things can be done if you connect your smartphone to the internet. The internet has been a big part of our everyday life that if we don’t have access to it, we have several things that we can’t do or can’t function properly.

Dangers of the Internet

As an adult, we are matured enough not to be consumed by the internet negatively. We have access to the internet, but we also know the dangers it might cause to us. But, what about children and teens who have access to the internet? Do they know enough to protect themselves to these dangers? Let’s say, for example, your 7-year-old niece borrowed your smartphone to play games. Being a cool aunt, you let her play. Without you knowing, she browsed mobile games from Play Store and installed an entertaining-looking game. Turns out, this mobile game is not entirely safe. It’s an app created by predators primarily to prey on children who find the graphics interesting enough to download it. What happens after the download? Your smartphone has been hacked. This is just one example of the many dangers the internet can do to young people. However, there are a lot of online safety precautions that we can teach them, so they can protect themselves online and be a responsible internet user. How Young People Can be a Responsible Internet UserIf children and teens are aware of the internet dangers and that they are vulnerable to these dangers, they should also know how to protect themselves and be responsible when going online.

Maintaining Data Privacy

The general rule is: “Don’t give out information that a predator could use to locate you. ”When chatting online, you should never give out your real name, your home phone number, your parent’s name and your address to anyone. These private details could jeopardize your family’s safety. In the real setting, you wouldn’t give out these details to a stranger who just said hi to you on the street, right? So, why would you do so when chatting with CuteGuy247 or SimpleGurl143? Another thing is to keep your passwords to yourself. Don’t share it with anyone even your friends. You do not want any other person pretending to be you online. Also, do not choose a password that contains basic information about you like your first and last name, or your birthday.

Safe Social Networking

Teens are very much active on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many others. It’s fun to create an online profile, connect with friends, even the old ones and share bits of your day to your network. However, too much of everything is dangerous. Oversharing your daily routine and whereabouts may pose danger to you and your family. To be responsible in social networking, you have to think about what you post. Think about whether what you are about to share can be used against you. Social networking should be within the people you actually know offline. However, there are times when a friend of your friend wants to be inside your network. Be cautious when chatting with persons you don’t really know in person. Maintain data privacy and avoid in-person meeting. If you really must meet this person to get together, never go alone. Tell your parents or your guardian and have someone accompany you.

Protection Against Cyberbullying

If you fail to maintain safe social networking and overshared private information or photos/videos online, these may backfire to you. Cyberbullying involves online attacks done by perpetrators hiding behind online personas. These attacks involve sending the victims threats, vile messages, or posting humiliating photos or videos of the victim. This causes psychological humiliation or harm to the victim and can negatively affect how he lives his life even when not online. If you are already a victim of cyberbullying, there are still measures you can do to protect yourself. First, talk to your parents or your guardians about what you are going through. There are various criminal laws that may be applied to behavioral bullying, depending on the nature of the act. Cyberbullies can be sanctioned so do not be afraid to speak up and ask for help. To prevent cyberbullying, always remember to practice safe social networking. Think before you post anything on your social media accounts. Do not think that you are obliged to share online every little thing that happens to you outside the online world.

Parents’ and the Guardian’s Responsibility

All these precautions and protections that a child can do to protect himself from the dangers of the internet can be implemented well under the supervision of an adult. In the first place, we, adults are the ones who let the young people have access to the online world. It should also be our responsibility to protect them from online vulnerabilities.