and individuals were made through
the app. With Keek, users upload their
status through video comments called
“keeks”, and it is referred to as “micro
YouTube”.
Parents who want to know more
about implementing parental controls
can access detailed information,
videos and tutorials from websites such
as
This US
website is part of the National Cyber
Security Alliance and has an entire
area dedicated to parents, including a
useful list of talking points for parents
and children of all ages.
The site also recommends making
children aware of the public nature
of the internet and the long-term
implications of every post, photo,
video and email they upload or share.
Tweens and teenagers also frequently
make the mistake of believing
anonymity on the internet is absolute.
A 15-year-old student in New York
state who posted on Yik Yak that his
“school would explode” was arrested
after police used GPS tracking
software to locate the post’s origin,
which turned out to be the student’s
home. What might have seemed like
a funny anonymous post will now
almost certainly be the cause of a
police record.
The other thing parents can (read
should
) do, is think like their children. If
you have set up parental controls on all
the devices but still think your children
are getting around them, look at the
browser history on your computer.
Also, a quick search on Google for
how
to bypass parental controls
offers detailed
instructions. VPNs (virtual private
networks) are common workarounds.
VPN technology is widely used as a way
to protect personal identity and bypass
technological restrictions, but in the
same way that VPNs are used in China
to access Facebook (which is otherwise
blocked), teenagers use it to access
websites banned by their parents.
Understanding your limits
Ultimately, we cannot completely
protect our children from the virtual
world in the same way we cannot fully
protect them from the real one. We
can, however, help them make the
right decisions and become responsible
digital citizens. And, if the occasion
calls for some virtual time out, it
should be dished out. Not allowing our
children to believe their entire social
life depends on a screen and keyboard
is paramount.
This is where creative parenting
comes into play, including requiring
all digital devices to be handed over
at a certain time of night. Or, simply
changing the Wi-Fi password daily
and handing it out to the kids only
after
homework, chores and other
non-digital activities have successfully
been completed.
An open dialogue between
parents and children is what the
experts suggest for navigating this
virtual journey. Teens might know
more about the latest apps and social
media platforms, but parents still have
the upper hand in understanding the
dangers their children face online.
