Here Are Some of the Biggest Threats to Children on the Internet

Children face many threats on the Internet because they’re vulnerable and spend a lot of time on computers and mobile devices. As a parent, you can’t stop them from going online, especially at a time of physical distancing where they spend more hours at home and away from school and friends. However, you can make the Internet more secure for them by checking this internet access guide. Your first step is to understand some of the biggest threats to kids on the Internet:

Unsuitable Content

There is content unsuitable for children in every corner of the Internet. Your child may access it by mistake, out of curiosity, or through a pop-up ad. The best way to block such inappropriate content is to use parental control tools on your computer. You can also use parental control tools to set time-limits and control downloads. You may also enable remote access to monitor your family computer when away from home.

Cyberbullying

Increasingly, young children are the target of cyberbullies. Usually, the harassers are older kids from the same school or strangers with fake profiles. Cyberbullying can have a severe impact on a child’s psyche. To protect your children from cyberbullying, ask them to block trolls instead of engaging with them. In addition, create a kid-safe email account for them.

Likewise, have a chat with your children about good online behavior. Teach them to be kind and to avoid using hurtful language.

Malware

Malware is any type of malicious software such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, adware, spyware, keyloggers, and stalkerware. Many kinds of spyware exist to invade your security and privacy. More dangerous malware, such as spyware, keyloggers, and stalkerware, can be used by predators to record your child’s online activity and monitor them through the camera and microphone on their computer.

You can stop worrying about online threats such as malware when you use advanced antivirus software that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to remediate emerging threats. To further protect your children, tell them about the dangers of befriending strangers online in Internet chat rooms. Remind them not to share private information with anyone, even if they appear to be friends or family members because fake profiles are easy to create.

Keep all lines of communication open so they can alert you in case of any suspicious activity. Also, set up their computer in the family room, where you can monitor for warning signs.

See Also

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Scams

Children are the biggest targets of online scams because of their innocent nature. For example, they’re more likely to be deceived by phishing emails that claim they’ve won a toy or a cake as a prize. Teach your kids to avoid fraudulent websites, suspicious links, and dodgy emails, no matter how attractive they appear.

Young Internet users are also targeted by freemium games that convince them to pay for useless in-game content. Many parents have paid large sums for in-app purchases made by their kids.

Never save your credit card information online to avoid unauthorized online purchases. It’s often challenging to fight back once the transaction is complete. With awareness and the assistance of the right security tools, your kids can avoid threats on the Internet.