Risks children face online, what parents can do to protect them – NCC

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Coronavirus pandemic has suddenly turned most of the school age children into virtual pupils. Classes are now held online via zoom, googleclassroom, Microsoft and the rest.

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While all these are good innovation in education, the dangers are however unquantifiable since the internet brings the children in touch with known and unknown friend hence the need to be cautious.

 As part of their corporate social responsibility, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC and the Cece Yara Foundation have put together the nature of risks the children face online and what parents can do to mitigate these risks.

These risks can be grouped into four broad categories.

1. Content Risk: Consists of harmful information and material that children encounter online. For example, pornography, violence, fake news (mis-information).

2. Contact Risk: Meeting online friends can lead to negative consequences. Online grooming can also occur. This is a situation where a person befriends a young person to gain their confidence and then sexually abuses them. There are other physical and psychological risks that could lie in a young person building friendships with strangers online.

3. Conduct Risk: It includes game addiction, mobile phone overuse impaired sight, loss of confidence and reputational harm due to unguided comments.

4.Commercialization Risk: This is the risk children face from being exposed to making willing and unwilling commercial decisions online – including giving out personal data, gambling and shopping addiction.

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But what can you as a parent do? You need to interact with your children.  It is advisable that these questions are asked as part of a conversation (it is advisable not to adopt a confrontational approach) or in a game form, to avoid the child being evasive or untruthful.

1. On the average, how many hours do you spend online daily? Take note that the time a child spends online may include time spent on academic or other learning activity.

2. What activity, will you say you spend most time on, when online?

Whatever activity they mention, check to see that they are not engaging excessively. It is important that a healthy balance is created between online activities and offline activities. Online addiction for whatever reason is unhealthy for the child

3. Who do you turn to for advice on issues arising online?

Do not take it personal if your child says s/he speaks to someone else. Research has shown that most children will rather speak to their peers or other online friends. This is because they either feel uncomfortable having such conversations with their parents or they believe they know more than their parents on online issues.

4. Have you been asked for a nude picture of yourself online? If yes, did you send the picture when asked?

Sending nudes or sexting is common amongst young children. Those children who end up sending their pictures do so because they trust the person on the other end of the screen.

Children need to be made to understand that images when shared may never leave the internet and can be reshared a million times and more. It may follow the child to adulthood and such issues have been known to lead to deaths.

5. Do you have friends/followers online who are strangers?

If yes, do not cut the child’s internet/smartphone usage because of this alone. Having strangers as friends could serve as an opportunity for children to discover and express themselves. However, it provides the platform for online grooming of children which portends great danger for children.

Social Network Sites (SNS) have also increased the opportunities for such interactions. The more children are exposed to SNS, the greater the potential for online-offline contacts and negative emotional exposure.

Parents must handle this line of conversation carefully in order not to push the child right into the arms of evil strangers. 

6. Have you ever been bullied online?

Find out how they felt and together discuss solutions. Do not make them feel punished twice by blaming them for being bullied. Research shows that 20.8% of children within the 12-16 years bracket have either bullied or been bullied online. Bullying is becoming a common phenomenon online.