Children and Internet Access

The dangers of the Internet for children

We are more than used to our children using the Internet at any time and at any age. As parents we have the responsibility to know how to handle the Internet well so that our children have a good guide in its use. We all know the importance of knowing child safety on the Internet to protect our children, but it is also essential to listen if your child has problems online and know the dangers that may exist.

There are many reasons why using the Internet can be dangerous for children and teenagers. Here’s what I want to talk to you about so that you’ll be aware and so that you can be alert to possible problems that the Internet can cause your children.

False Identities

False identities are very easy to create, so making new friends online is easy, but it’s very different from doing it in person. You can’t see who’s on the other side of the screen and it could be someone who’s lying.

The Internet makes it easier for anyone to access people anywhere in the world. For example, if your child is using websites or social networks, they may be asked to be over a certain age and may lie in order to be able to access and view the content. Another example is for someone to lie about their identity in order to be able to chat with children and teenagers for sexual purposes, as paedophiles do.

Internet Predators

Internet predators have it easy by having false online identities. Many times, people who lie about their age are Internet predators and always go with ulterior motives. These predators tend to target children and teenagers. Unfortunately, many children and teenagers do not realize that the other person is a predator until it is too late, such as when they try to approach or contact their children in person.

There are many sites online

There are many web sites that exist on the Internet and it is necessary to teach them the good and the bad that can be online. This is why parents should spend some time researching and also to have a parental control in the electronic devices that their children access. Having so many websites to choose from can be dangerous. Your child may have access to websites, social networks, adult chat rooms, pornographic websites, or websites of a violent nature. That’s why online monitoring is so important.

Information is not private

Not all information is private. Unfortunately, many people, including children and parents, do not know that information posted online is not always private. To begin with, most teens have their profiles on Facebook and in many cases have them in public rather than in private mode. This means that anyone can see it, that’s why it’s so important to talk about children’s Internet privacy.

What is posted on the Internet stays on the net even if years go by and even if the content on the original page has been removed, that’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on what’s posted on the Internet or social networks. It is very important to make children aware of this so that they are prudent.

Children have control

When children use the Internet they are having control over what they do, but many times they don’t know how to handle it. Even if you think your teen is mature, you never know. You can ask your child not to talk to strangers, you can ask him not to share his phone number or share pictures with strangers… but that doesn’t mean he always follows the rules. That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to control our children’s use of the Internet.