A trusting child can fall into the trap of an adult perpetrator
Criminals online are increasingly disguising themselves as peers of children to gain their trust. Therefore, parents need to be able to recognize dangerous communication in time and protect their child from online manipulation.
This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a publication from the press service of the Patrol Police of Kyiv on Facebook.
Read also: Smartphones in class: can schools ban gadgets
What is cyber grooming and why is it dangerous
According to law enforcement information, cyber grooming is the establishment of trusting relationships between adults and children:
- through social networks;
- through fake accounts.
The dangerous goal of cyber grooming is to obtain explicit photographs and videos.
How parents can protect children online
To prevent cyber grooming, the police advise, first of all, to teach the child:
- to keep personal information secret;
- to be cautious about online acquaintances.
“Help set privacy settings for the child’s accounts on various social networks and monitor who follows their accounts,” the police explained.
Additionally, children are encouraged to periodically review their followers and (if necessary) remove suspicious accounts.
“Talk about the importance of digital reputation and its impact on real life,” law enforcement noted.
Cyber grooming is a dangerous phenomenon (infographic: facebook.com/kyivpatrol)
To protect the child from negative and even dangerous online influences, adults are also advised to:
- set necessary settings to protect the device used by the child;
- establish rules for internet use, and if necessary, monitor the child’s online activity;
- definitely set up two-factor authentication to protect accounts;
- teach the child to use strong passwords (and not to share them with anyone);
- agree that during learning, the child will only use specific platforms with educational material approved by teachers.
Publication from law enforcement (screenshot: facebook.com/kyivpatrol)
In conclusion, the police advised to maintain open communication about online experiences so that the child can freely share any concerns.
“Be ready to listen and help in difficult situations. Let’s take care of safety together,” the press service of the Patrol Police summarized.
Recall that earlier we discussed 7 signs that your child has “climbed onto your head,” and you didn’t even notice it.
Additionally, we explained what parents do when their children do not want to communicate with them (9 main mistakes).
Read also about what simple habits can forever change your relationship with your child.
Source: rbc.ua
