Take a screenshots of the abusive messages or behavior. This will help you to report the bullying to the relevant authorities. GRAPHIC/vpnMENTOR
By TECH CORRESPONDENT
Cyber bullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. However, studies show that while parents have allowed children to access the Internet at an early age most of them have not put any controls in place to protect them from cyber bullying.
As a result, children are now being targeted by pedophiles, recruitment by criminal gangs and terrorists and Satanists recruiting them into devil worshipping organizations.
Mr Ariel Hochstadt formerly Gmail Marketing Manager globally for Google, is now web entrepreneur and co-founder of vpnMentor an online privacy advocacy platform spells out measures parents need to take to protect children from cyber bullying.
“For a lot of children, the online world is more real than the real world. It is crucial to our children’s wellbeing that we understand what they see online, what is out there, both good and bad, and how it impacts their physical and emotional wellbeing,” Mr Hochstadt saysin a posting onhvpnMentor.
He says that the problem, as many parents would eagerly admit, is that they feel they don’t really understand the online world.
“Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are bewildering enough, without even mentioning 4chan and TOR. Furthermore, we don’t feel that we have the technical skills to navigate this complex landscape,” he adds.
Mr Hochstadt notes that the good news is that it’s not that difficult to put certain technical controls in place to protect children online.
“Far more importantly, the best thing you can do to protect your children is to talk to them; set clear boundaries for what and when they access online, but also to be there for your children when they make a mistake, or when they have gone too far,” he emphasisadding that is what parenting fundamentally comes down to.
In a comprehensive guide, he outlined eight areas that a parent should pay attention to as they help their children to navigate this complex online world. Below are key highlights.
Mobile phones and apps
Implement smartphone rules with your child. Making sure your kids involve you on their phone activities with help keep them safe. GRAPHIC/vpnMENTOR
Social media
Enforce a safe environment. Do not let your kids on social media until they’re old enough. Keep the computer in a public location. Limit the amount of time spent on social media. Block location access to all apps. Adjust the privacy settings. Monitor your child’s online activity. GRAPHIC/vpnMENTOR
Gaming consoles and online games
Encourage your children to discuss the games they play. Make sure your child profile is set to private. Consider keeping the gaming console in a shared, social space. Study the age rating of the games. Use parental controls to set up profiles. Limit the type of people your child can speak to online. GRAPHIC/vpnMENTOR
Streaming content and smart TVs
Monitor TV time by limiting the number of hours they watch per day, incorporating parental settings, talking to your child about the content they watch, and spending TV time as a family.GRAPHIC/vpnMENTOR
