Hello Readers! Hilary Smith is a writer and parent who specializes in spreading positive parenting techniques, focusing on the use of social media and new technologies by tweens and teenagers. These are hard topics that I hardly know how to talk about, but I’m glad someone is! I think you will find this information very useful if you have a child with access to technology!
Like what you read? Follow her twitter @HilaryS33, or read her column on HMHB.
Did Your Child Receive a Smartphone Recently? What You Need to Know
Guest post by Hilary Smith
Digital citizenship comes with a price many of us don’t realize until after we hand our kids a Smartphone. Lurking behind the glow of their screens and friendly social media apps hides an underbelly of cyberbullying, sexting, oversharing, and predator grooming occurring right under our noses. If your son or daughter has recently acquired a Smartphone, there are a few things you need to know to help protect your child.
Online Dangers Threatening Our Children
It’s believed that 78 percent of teens own cell phones and a whopping 75 percent of kids under the age of 8 have access to smart technology. All of this connectivity means our children are using their devices for a majority of their communications with peers and family. Unfortunately, the more time our children are logged on, the opportunities intensify for bad experiences.
Recent data estimates that the rate of cyberbullying has tripled! Which means 87 percent of our youth have experienced cyberbullying either first hand or witnessed online cruelty. Besides the obvious meanness, researchers have directly linked bullying to higher levels of anxiety and depression.
If that isn’t enough to warrant our concern, we need to consider that our kids are oversharing personal details online which can make them vulnerable to identity theft and online predators. Predators naturally go where the children are and today that place is social media. Predators are looking for young users to initiate contact or to ask kids to send intimate images or videos for the viewing pleasure.
This leads us to another seedy part of the Internet and social media: sexting or free porn. Sexting is now considered a normal part of development by many experts, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe or without consequence. Children who sext have higher chances of being bullied, because many friends will forward their images causing a snowball effect. Minors who sext also run the risk of being prosecuted as a sexual offender for possessing and distributing child pornography.
Dangerous Apps That Need To Be On Your Radar
The above threats are very real, but it’s easy to tell ourselves that our children know better. However, we need to consider that 70 percent of kids take measures to hide their online activity from us and Smartphones make this even easier to accomplish. That makes it vital for us to be aware of the apps and sites our children are using so we can empower our sons and daughters to avoid online dangers.
Listed below are 5 apps to be on the lookout for:
Yik Yak- This anonymous app allows users to interact with others located close to them. The draw to Yik Yak, is that users can easily hide their identities, but this anonymity is often used for bullying and has been banned by many schools.
Omegle- This app allows users to randomly connect with strangers via video chatting. While it was developed for the over 18 crowd, many kids use fake ages to access this app. Omegle is known as a place for inappropriate videos that are often sexual in nature.
Whisper- This is another anonymous app that encourages users to confess secrets. As an added feature, the app sorts information based on a user’s location, allowing others in near proximity to see what others are posting. Whisper is a known vehicle for spreading lies and cyberbullying.
Ask.fm- Often associated with cyberbullying, Ask.fm relies on a question and answer layout. This site alone has been associated with at least 9 suicide deaths sparked from digital harassment.
Burn Note- Designed to allow users to send self-destructing messages, Burn Note erases all evidence of cyberbullying after a few seconds.
Modern children are being raised in a world that is constantly evolving with new technologies. In fact, our teens can’t even remember dial up Internet or a world without cell phones. Today’s advancements have connected society in a way that was inconceivable even a decade ago. We are now able to connect with anyone from anywhere to anyplace in the world with a swipe of a screen or phone that can be held in our pocket.
How do you protect your children from Smartphone dangers?
2 responses to “Did Your Child Receive a Smartphone Recently? What You Need to Know”
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Fear! Uncertainty! Doubt!
Elsewhere on your blog, I’ve learned so much. Here, we can do better.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree this piece does elicit some fear, uncertainty, and doubt, but I think it is still beneficial to know this information. In the area where I live, teen suicides and depression are unfortunately not uncommon topics for those who work with youth. If this helps even one person better understand or care for a youth in their life, I would be glad!
I’m glad you’ve learned other things on my blog :). Thank you!