5 Tips for Parents to Keep their Kids Safe from Online Predators During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the world in profound ways, presenting a major threat to our health and the global economy. With schools shut down and kids at home, parents are facing complex challenges. Many parents are learning how to home school their children while one or both parents are working from home. Other parents may be on the front lines of this crisis in one of the essential workforces that are still going to work. During this time, children are likely to have unfettered internet access with little adult supervision. As parents navigate this unprecedented moment, they should exercise vigilance in ensuring their children are safe from online predators.
At Free to Thrive we help human trafficking survivors with their legal needs and connect them to other supportive services. In doing this work, we often learn about how our clients were recruited online by their traffickers. While no survivor has the same story, many of our clients first met their trafficker(s) online, usually through social media. Sometimes it was someone they believed to be a friend. Other times, it was someone who pretended to be a boyfriend who loved them. This is consistent with research studies on how traffickers recruit their victims. According to a 2018 study, 55 percent of domestic minor sex trafficking survivors who became victims in 2015 or later reported meeting their traffickers for the first time using text, a website, or a mobile app. Gaming apps are also becoming a common platform for traffickers and other online predators to lure children.
In light of the real dangers of increased access to the internet poses to our children during the COVID-19 pandemic, here are 5 tips to help your kids stay safe from online predators:
1. Talk to Your Kids About Internet Safety
When I was a kid, my mom warned me not to talk to strangers or get into a car with a stranger. Now, strangers can come into your home and talk to your kids without you ever knowing. The best way to keep your kids safe from online predators is to talk to them about internet safety, just like our parents talked to us about personal safety. When having this discussion, make sure they understand what a predator is and the ways they might approach your kids. For older kids, you can share with them a news story about online predators who met kids through the social media and/or gaming platforms your child uses.
You should also make sure they understand the different stages of online grooming. Explain to your kids that people are not always who they say they are and make sure they do not talk to strangers or give out any personally identifying information online. This includes things like their age, gender, or where they live. Make sure they know they should never meet up with anyone they meet online without discussing it with you first. While this is a tough subject to discuss with children, it is far better to have an open and honest conversation and protect your child from harm than the alternative.
2. Monitor Internet Use
You should also monitor your children’s internet use, whether on a computer, tablet or smartphone. In doing so, you should explain that you trust them to avoid the dangers you discussed, but as their parent, it’s your job to make sure they are safe from harm and this is an important part of that job. In monitoring their internet use, you should: (1) know your child’s account passwords; (2) keep an eye on who they interact with; and (3) be on the lookout for suspicious activity on your child's browsing history, including deleted history and private searches. Here’s a great tutorial on how to view online browsing history.
3. Use Parental Controls
You can also utilize the parental control features built into your Mac, PC, mobile device, smart TV and gaming console. Just perform a search for "parental controls" and the device name or operating system you are using to follow the instructions.
There are also many other resources like CleanRouter, ContentWatch Net Nanny, and Qustodio Parental Control, that will help you monitor your child's online activities. These tools allow you to monitor on every device on your network, set safe search enforcement, and device-specific Internet time scheduling.
4. Limit Computer Use to Somewhere Visible
While this may not be possible in all households, try to limit internet use to somewhere visible, particularly for younger children. Place the computer in the family room or other communal space rather than the child’s bedroom. You should also not leave young children unsupervised with smartphones and tablets for long periods of time. This way you can keep an eye on your kids while they are online.
5. Tell Your Child They Can Always Talk to You
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, create an open line of communications with your children about internet safety. This should not be a one-time conversation, but rather a regular topic of conversation. Be open and genuinely interested in what games they are playing or their new friends on social media. It will be a lot easier to protect your kids if they truly believe they can talk to you about their online activities without getting into trouble.
If you notice any abnormal or concerning behavior, do not accuse or attack your child. Remember, if someone is grooming them online, they are likely making them believe they are friends or in love with your child. Remember how you felt the first time you fell in love or when you made a new friend? If you immediately shut them down, they will simply go around your back. Instead of getting angry at your child, have an open and honest discussion with them about who they are communicating with online and revisit the safety tips you talked about.
If you think your child could have an online boyfriend or girlfriend, or even if you don’t, make sure your child understands what a healthy relationship looks like. You can talk about things like, someone who loves you would not ask you to send them sexy photos or send you explicit photos, talk about violence against you or others, or ask you to do sexual things that you are not comfortable with. Tell them if anyone ever makes them feel uncomfortable, they can talk to you about it and you promise not to get mad. If your kids feel like they can come to you without getting in trouble, they are far more likely to tell you than keep it a secret.
What to Do if Your Child Encounters an Online Predator
If your child encounters an online predator, you should do all of the following:
Save or take screenshots of messages (do not delete them)
Block the offender
Report the offender on the platform(s) where they engaged with your child
Report the offender to local authorities and NCMEC’s CyberTipline
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Jamie Beck is the President & Managing Attorney, Free to Thrive, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers human trafficking survivors to be free from exploitation and thrive by providing them with free legal services and connections to other supportive services.
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