Computers and the Internet have many advantages. Children can use the computer to request information for speeches, papers and certain issues. Social networks such as Facebook have also become almost indispensable for young people. However, young people do not always use the possibilities of the internet wisely. It is therefore necessary that parents pay attention to their child’s internet behavior, so that the risk of becoming a victim of cyberbullying and cybercrime is minimized. Such bullying behavior can have a huge impact, especially on teenagers. So much so that they no longer dare to go out into the street or no longer want to go to school. Their self-confidence can be enormously affected and this often affects the rest of their lives.
How do you protect your computer and/or laptop at home against crime?
Many young people have a computer or laptop at home and the number of families connected to the internet is increasing. That is of course good, because it makes it much easier for children to obtain all kinds of information they need for their studies. On the other hand, the internet also poses many dangers, because crime does not stand still. However, you cannot completely protect your computer against it. Even the child lock does not completely protect your child against crime, because that can also be circumvented.
Preparing your child for crime and cyberbullying
As soon as your child starts searching for information on the Internet for study purposes, a good conversation must take place. You do not have to provide details about the criminal activities, but you must be very clear during that conversation about the negative effects of being active on the internet. Please explain to your child that he or she must be very careful when giving out personal information on the Internet. Not only on Facebook, but also on Twitter, via email and on all kinds of other internet pages.
Once something is on the internet, it often never goes away
Also explain to your child that the Internet records all data, but that you can erase almost none of it. What’s on there usually stays there. Crazy photos, strange jokes, denigration of others, etc., can often still be found on the internet after years.
Employers search the internet for an applicant’s history
Most employers Google their applicants on the Internet and if they contain negative things about your then adult child, they can even then be rejected. It is therefore also with a view to his or her future that the child must be very careful when giving out information.
Do not leave young children unsupervised on the Internet
It is wisest to set the parental lock for young children and only allow them to use the internet under supervision. Therefore, do not put a computer in their room, but make sure there is one in the living room so that you can check what it is doing every now and then. Also limit the time the child spends at the computer, so that he or she at least has enough time for homework and relaxation.
The mobile phone and the internet
However, this becomes difficult with older children. That usually doesn’t work anymore. Children are very smart at circumventing bans and are often more aware of the digital possibilities than their parents. In addition, teenagers in particular often have a mobile phone with internet capability. Where there is WiFi and for which they have the code, they can use the internet without restrictions.
The internet is not only available at home
With friends, where the parents are not too strict, your child can often do and search whatever he or she wants on the Internet without any restrictions. That is not without danger and the chance that it will encounter criminals who have evil intentions is high. Criminals know all too well that youth are often easier to deceive than adults.
Cyberbullying
Bullying via the internet and mobile phones already happens in many places. The anonymity of the Internet often provokes malicious youth to say worse things than they would normally dare to use. Not only girls, but also boys are often the victims. Bullying is not harmless. It is very frustrating for a child not to know who is attacking him/her. Adolescents are already somewhat unstable due to the hormonal disturbances in their body and can become extremely depressed as a result.
Options to stop cyberbullying over the phone
Stopping cyberbullying is not that easy. Usually this not only concerns bullying via mobile phone, but also via email and even via Facebook. However, if you find out, there are a few measures you can take. Sometimes it is even necessary to have the child change schools.
Not just changing schools
In any case, have your child get a different email address and disable the old one. Have it get another mobile phone number, or just get another cheap mobile phone with an extra phone number and confiscate the old mobile phone. Please remind the child to only give the new telephone number to his or her best friends and not to all kinds of others in the class.
Report serious threats to the police
Report serious threats to the police. In particular, death threats, sexual harassment and attacks in that direction must be reported. In that case, make sure you have proof of this. Print out an email with a threat, forward a threatening message from a mobile phone to the computer so that you can also print it out.
Enormous fear in the threatened child
After all, young people who make such threats and cause enormous fear in others must be stopped. Make no mistake. There is often even a threat of harsh measures if the child informs his/her parents. They often do not dare to say anything at home. The fear can be that great. Especially at that age, that pressure is almost unbearable.
Watch for signs of anxiety in your primary school child or teenager and for changes in his/her behavior
Children who are bullied do not always come clean at home. It is therefore not always easy for parents to find out whether their child is being bullied. Still, there are signs you can look out for. There may be changes in the child’s behavior. Children who are bullied often withdraw, spend more time in their room, no longer visit friends, and so on. The reverse also often occurs. Often the child’s sudden aggressiveness at home is blamed on puberty, but this is not always the case. The child tries to react at home, which he or she does not dare to do at school.
Try to extract the information about bullying behavior
In addition, you often have to extract information about the school and friends. Bullied children also often have difficulty falling asleep and often lie awake. They have little interest in school trips, school parties, and so on. Some children even feel ill and sometimes experience a temperature increase. During holidays, a child bullied by classmates always recovers and becomes his normal self again.
Above all, keep in touch and talk to your child often
One of the best ways to protect your child is to talk to him or her regularly. Make sure you know what is going on in your child. Keep up. Not only when it comes to school results, but especially when it comes to social activities and contacts. Ask loosely about the new possibilities on the internet.
Find quiet moments for a good conversation
a quiet moment for a good conversation . For example, during a walk, a quiet hour at home, working together in the garden, working on the car, or on holiday. Adolescents are very sensitive and always react differently when conversations are had with two or three adults at the same time. A one-on-one conversation is always better.
The child speaks more easily without others present
Also find a time when you are alone with your child. As soon as the conversation is no longer a private conversation, but is attended by one or more others, the adolescent will refuse all attempts to enter into a deeper conversation. A one-on-one conversation is therefore best.
Don’t wait too long to take action
Keep an eye on your child and be aware of characteristics that indicate that he or she no longer feels comfortable at school and/or with friends. The sooner you act and take action, the better.