#SaferInternetDay is on Tuesday, 7 February, around the world with the purpose of creating safer and more responsible use of online technology and on the South Coast, Sparrow Trust – a counter-human trafficking organisation – is working hard to equip the community to protect, defend and safeguard children from real world threats and risky online interactions.
Founding Director of Sparrow Trust, Estelle van Eeden, said: “We educate children, educators and caregivers with skills to navigate the online landscape responsibly through a series of workshops focusing on cyber safety, cyberbullying, online exploitation and human trafficking prevention. The topics covered in the sessions highlight the current threats with tips on how to mitigate them through smart life and cyber choices.”
The Amanzimtoti resident explained that the internet is an invaluable tool and resource for both children and adults, creating unprecedented opportunities. However, children must be equipped to navigate digital spaces, taught their rights and responsibilities when using digital devices, and they need practical guidance on managing the ‘onlife’ they create every time they open a browser or download a new app.
“We cannot expect a child to automatically understand the relevance of their digital identity and reputation to their everyday lives, relationships, and futures,” said van Eeden.
“Adults are often overwhelmed by social media, smartphones and the pace of technological advances and may be completely in the dark on how to start implementing safety measures for digital natives. Many caregivers never or rarely engage with their children about their online activities because they feel out of their depth.
“However, the threats to a child’s overall safety and well-being through the use of the internet and smart devices is increasing exponentially. Examples are cyberbullying, blackmail, catfishing, sextortion, grooming and online exploitation.”
She added that adults can be proactive in safekeeping by taking the time to educate themselves and by implementing safety strategies and by fostering a culture of integrity and accountability for the whole family. Awareness is the first step to prevention.
“Remember that what happens online impacts a real person, especially for our digital natives whose online presence plays a major role in their identity formation and what they think and believe about the world, it impacts their social lives and daily decisions.
“It is imperative that adults have age-appropriate conversations with children to prepare them for the digital world just as they are equipped to flourish in the ‘real world’. Parental oversight and parental control tools are not draconian or unreasonable measures, and should not be considered as infringing on a child’s privacy or freedom. It is a caregiver’s right and responsibility, and when done in a balanced cooperative way, can create opportunities to connect and build stronger relationships.”
Tips for raising responsible digital citizens:
• Consider delaying giving your child a smartphone until high school;
• use parental control applications such as Google Family Link or FYI Play It Safe;
• if your tweens or teens use social media, know which apps they use – do your research and make informed choices together with your child; and
• implement a Digital Family Agreement from a young age to help agree on rules for using devices – this is a good way to have frequent age appropriate conversations about their ‘onlife’ as they grow older; this is also an opportunity for adults to model healthy device use and online habits for children.
Online Safety conversation starters for younger children:
• Chat about popular apps and games that they like and find out why, then do your own research;
• which websites do they use most often and why – know their level of computer skills;
• join in on their games and online activities – it’s one of the fastest ways to learn and understand;
• account privacy is a sticky subject but one of the most important, talk about the difference between real and online friends – set boundaries around in-game messaging, direct messaging and group chats; and
• prepare them for when, not if, they come across content that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe, and what they can do in that situation.
Online safety conversations for teenagers:
• Talk about time spent online and create a healthy balance.
• Have conversations about misinformation, fake news and using trusted sources.
• Honest conversations about their digital identities and how it impacts their physical and mental health are very important.
• Talk to your child about sexting, nudes and online pornography, they need to understand the legal implications of these activities.
• Make sure they know the signs of grooming and what they can do if this happens.
• Always ensure they have more than one trusted adult they can talk to about anything.
