The Internet – Do you know where your child has been today?

According to The Safe Community Interest Company, 70% of children are unwittingly exposed to pornography whilst doing homework research. Research in the U.S. reveals that before the age of 18 years, 83% of boys and 57% of girls have viewed group sex on the Internet.

The emotional dangers of children being exposed to inappropriate Internet content include permissive attitudes about sex, such as having multiple sexual partners, “one night stands,” cynicism about the need for affection between sexual partners, casual sexual relations with friends, and even mimicking behaviours seen in pornography.

Pornography is not the only danger. Children are being exposed to hateful and violent images, illegal behaviour and drugs. 

One of the benefits of the Internet is that it is open to all, which unfortunately also means that children are often exposed to the distorted world-view of those who share extreme political, racist and sexual information. 

As parents we are ultimately responsible for the well-being and safety of our children. This task seems to be getting harder and harder with both parents working and children spending more time on the Internet. 

Schools are promoting e-learning and parents simply don’t have the time to hover over their children whilst they are doing their homework. Many parents admit that their children are more technically savvy than what they are, therefore children are more than capable of disabling or bypassing the safety apps which are downloaded onto their devices.

So how can parents minimise the risk of their children being exposed to inappropriate Internet content? 

1. Parents need to educate themselves about the risks of the Internet and they need to start conversations with their children about being open and honest about what they have seen online and who they have been talking to.  Communication between parents and children is essential. 

2. A hardware based Web Filtering device placed at the gateway of your home network will ensure that all the inappropriate internet content will be filtered and blocked before it reaches your child’s device. Go http://www.ntdhome.co.za/ for more.

3. Last but not least, decrease the amount of time a child spends on the Internet as a sure way to decrease their risk of exposure to dangerous content.