Children’s Privacy & Their 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 steal your child's identity. Toys and gadgets that connect to the internet store information about your child in 'the cloud' (which is another way of saying a server, or a very large computer that is in a shed somewhere in the world). As revealed by the cyber attack on Vtech's children's tablets, some hackers attack children's profiles because they offer clean credit histories and social security numbers that have not been used. Parental controls

They can hurt you. Social networks that have access to the physical location of their users such as Twitter , Kik , 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.