Modern times are saturated with the amount of ubiquitous technology that surrounds us. The Internet has become essential for normal functioning. Very often it becomes "help" in raising our children. Please remember that the Internet also has many evils. The threats our children may encounter on the Internet often have very serious consequences.
Internet, what do we know about it?
If we were to imagine life without the Internet today, definitely more people would not be able to do it. It accompanies us everywhere. It is presented as a miraculous invention of humanity, which helps us in everyday life, but also hides a lot of evil, especially for the youngest, our children. The image of brutal virtual reality as we all know it, that is: pedophilia, pornography, violence, or a wave of suicides, is very accessible not only for adults, but also for our children, who are very susceptible to everything that surrounds them.
"My child is not like that"
The network and its presence allow us and our children to develop greatly, not only intellectually, but also interpersonally. Today, the Internet is the main tool of contact between us and other people around us. Many parents know how helpful and brutal he can be. Unfortunately, we very often wash our hands, explaining that our children know better about all of this, and we parents "what we know so much". This reason often leads to the parent's ignorance of what may happen to his child on the Internet. In addition, we wash our hands, assuming that our child will surely be okay and not like the others. We should accompany our child not only in real life, but also in virtual life.
Unfortunately yes.
The threats our children may encounter on the Internet are very common, but we often underestimate them. Dangerous content that our son or daughter may encounter, such as pornographic photos or films. Dangerous contacts, because the Internet allows us to meet new friends who often become closer to us than family, but often pretend to be someone they are not. Grooming is a common phenomenon of grooming children on the Internet for the purpose of later sexual abuse. Hate, that is cyberbullying. This involves posting compromising and offensive content about a specific person online, which is public and has a strong negative impact on the person's psyche. Sexting is a new form of sending naked, erotic photos or videos by young people, which can then be easily made public. The Nobody's Children Foundation conducted research showing that as many as 11% of young people admit to this type of activities.
How can I protect my child?
A parent's lack of knowledge about what their child is doing on the Internet is a very big problem. The main goal is to accompany ours children in virtual life. Exploring this world together is a very important thing both for our children and for ourselves. Talking and making our children aware of what may happen to them and how they should react is another important issue.
Constant change
The Internet is a treasury of knowledge, not always the positive, and, as you can see, very often also negative. As our world grows, so does the network and what we can find in it. There are also new, dangerous, virtual games and activities that can lead to something bad. Therefore, it is important to talk not only with children, but also with other parents. Additionally, "be" online and stay close to the child.
