Strategies for Effective Communication and Prevention:
“Did you know that the average age a child in the USA enters into sex trafficking is 13?! And that average is getting closer to 12. That means, parents need to start having these difficult conversations with their children as young as 8.” - Detective Heidi Chance
Awareness Matters: Start Earlier Than You Think
- Early Education: Initiate conversations about digital safety as early as when children start interacting with digital devices. Early education is crucial as it forms the foundational understanding of safe digital practices.
- Age-Appropriate Discussions: Tailor your conversations to your child's age and understanding. For younger children, keep discussions protective and straightforward, focusing on basic digital engagement rules and acknowledging the presence of online risks. For example:
“Just like I teach you to look both ways before crossing the street, I need to guide you in staying safe online. There are some people who might try to trick or hurt kids. That’s why I will check what you’re doing on your devices. If anything makes you feel uncomfortable, weird, or scared, come and tell me immediately. You won’t be in trouble; I’m here to keep you safe. Remember, your safety is my top priority.”
For older children, delve into more complex topics such as privacy, cyberbullying, and the lasting implications of online actions.
- Teach Stranger-Danger Awareness: Teach your child to immediately let you know when someone they don’t know messages or interacts with them online. This allows you, as the parent, to verify whether it's safe for them to engage further.
Discuss the Permanence of Online Actions:
- Emphasize that anything shared online can stay there indefinitely, like messages, images, and videos - even if they think they are temporary.
- Discussion Tips: Use analogies, like writing in permanent marker, to help them understand that the digital footprint is lasting and potentially public. Share real-life stories of young people whose private photos were exposed online or sent to all their family and friends and the severe consequences that followed. Emphasize the risks of sharing personal or intimate information through text or online platforms to underscore the gravity of online actions.
Teach Respect for Privacy:
- Understanding Personal Information: Explain what personal information is (i.e. full name, address, school) and why it's important to keep it private.
- Managing Privacy Settings: Show them how to adjust privacy settings on social media and gaming platforms to restrict who can see their posts and interact with them. Make sure their social media platforms are private, that their username and posts don’t disclose identifying information, and teach them not to give our personal information or passwords to anyone.
- Respecting Others: Encourage them to ask for permission before sharing pictures or details about friends or family.
Build Up Their Self Esteem
One of the most underrated, and most important preventative measures to protect your child is to build their self-esteem and teach them self-respect. Why? Predators target vulnerable children, but a confident, well-supported child is a harder target. If your child feels valued and receives positive reinforcement at home, they are less likely to be swayed by flattery from strangers online. Teach them 'stranger danger' tactics so they know to come to you when – not if – someone unknown contacts them. This way, they will feel safe sharing their concerns, knowing you will listen and take action to protect them.
Encourage Critical Thinking:
- Question Reliability: Teach children to critically assess the reliability of information found online. Discuss how some websites or people online might present false or biased information.
- Recognize Manipulation: Help them identify manipulative language and tactics that advertisers or predators might use, like flattery or too-good-to-be-true offers.
Set Clear Online Activity Rules:
- Controlled Access: Compare unsupervised internet access to handling a risky tool; it’s essential to supervise and restrict access to ensure safety.
- Rules on App Usage: Clearly define which apps are off-limits and which require parental approval before use.
Limit & Monitor Online Activity and Set Clear Guidelines:
- Set Clear Rules for Online Access: Just as you wouldn’t hand a child a loaded weapon without proper safety training, you shouldn't provide unlimited, unsupervised access to the internet. The digital world, like the real one, requires careful navigation to avoid dangers.
- Define Safe Online Interactions: Create specific rules regarding what types of interactions, features, and content are considered safe and appropriate on various digital platforms and games your child engages with.
- Restrict Unsuitable Apps and Platforms: Clearly define which apps and platforms are off-limits, which ones require limited access, and which are safe for use. Agree on and enforce these restrictions to protect your child from potential harm.
- Regulate New Downloads: Establish a clear process for evaluating and approving new apps and platforms before they are downloaded, ensuring they meet your family's safety criteria.
Create a Family Media Plan:
- Set Guidelines: Together with your child, establish rules about when and how devices can be used. This might include specific tech-free times or zones within the house, time limits on certain devices or platforms, and even incentives to balance their entertainment with other offline activities.
- Include Consequences: Discuss the consequences of not following the family’s digital safety rules to ensure they understand the importance of these guidelines.
- Routinely Reevaluate: As technology evolves and your child grows, regularly update the rules to stay relevant and maintain open lines of communication.
Regularly Review and Update:
- Stay Updated: Keep abreast of new technologies, platforms, and potential online risks. Use these insights to continuously update your family’s digital safety strategies.
- Encourage Open Dialogue: Maintain an open environment where your child can discuss their online interactions and experiences without fear of judgment.