June is Internet Safety Month
June is Internet Safety Month
In 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 29,397,681 reports of suspected child sexual exploitation on the CyberTipline. The majority of those reports involved online exchange of child sexual abuse material, which are photos or videos of child sexual abuse. In cases where NCMEC can identify the child in the image, they found most people abusing a child and sharing those images were neighbors or family friends of the child (22.37%.) Another 15.49% of people exchanging child sexual abuse material had enticed youth online to send images or who engaged in “sextortion” which is when someone threatens to distribute a youth’s private or sensitive information in order to obtain sexually explicit photos or video of the youth, sexual favors, or money. While these facts are shocking and can make parents and caregivers feel overwhelmed when it comes to keeping their kids safe online, there are steps caregivers can take to keep their kids safe online.
The best thing we can do as caregivers is to talk to our children about online safety. Talk to them before giving them devices if possible and continue to have those conversations frequently. Work with your child to establish basic rules of device use and online safety. Teach them not to give out private information online and to not respond to private messages from strangers. Set rules about taking revealing pictures or videos of themselves or others – even if they don’t plan to share them – and explain that they have very little control over what happens once those images are shared, even privately. Teach them good digital citizenship in terms of online harassment and cyberbullying. Supervise their online interactions and set reasonable limits on device usage. One good rule is that any device with internet access should be used in an area that can be easily supervised. This could be in common areas of the house or even in a bedroom as long as the door stays open. Implement a “device bedtime” when all devices are put away for the night in a common area or place the child cannot easily access through the night. Other options to limit their device usage during the night when you cannot supervise are parental controls that allow you to lock the device between certain hours or turning off the wi-fi at night (if the device does not have its own data plan.) Be aware of what apps your child is using, learn how to change privacy settings in those apps and how to report inappropriate content or interactions. Talk to them about what online enticement and sextortion is and encourage them to come to you if anyone ever asks for private information or sexually explicit images. Reassure them that they can come to you if something happens online, even if they broke a rule or did something foolish. Be aware of the signs of online grooming or enticement such as receiving gifts via mail, calling or texting unknown numbers, withdrawing from in-person interactions in favor of spending time online, getting extremely upset when they cannot go online or access a device, or hiding their screens. Last, if you suspect online exploitation or abuse of a child, report to local law enforcement or the CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.org.