A recent report by the Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya titled 'Children and the Use of Cell Phones" highlighted the fact that many children now have access to smartphones.
While the use of smartphones is good for children, CA cautions in the report that unmonitored access may expose the children to financial risk, facilitation of harassment or bullying, improper image/video use, and the risk of sexual harassment among other risks.
Therefore, parents and guardians have the responsibility of keeping their children safe online by having a conversation with them about the associated risks and safety concerns.
Kenyans.co.ke spoke to Evalyn Kasina, a Family IT Consultant and Cyber Expert on how best parents can engage their children in promoting their online safety.
According to Kasina, asking children open questions about their online activity is the best way to go because it shows you are interested in what they are doing.
"Inculcating family values in your children is also key in ensuring children are in check with what they are exposed to on the internet,
“Talk about what rules your family can have about technology and set up online safety precautions to help your child avoid cyberbullying,” the Family IT Consultant.
She advised that it was worth talking with your child about your family values and being alert to cyberbullying behaviour that includes abusive texts and emails, hurtful messages, images or videos, imitating others online, and excluding others online.
Kasina also noted that talking to children about issues such as the dangers of humiliating others online, spreading nasty online gossip and chat, and creating fake accounts to trick someone or humiliate them is critical to safeguarding their online safety.
Understanding How Children are baited online
This happens when a person tries to build a trusting relationship with a child or a child’s family over time with the intention of abuse.
"Some of the tactics used online to gain a child’s trust include adults pretending to be young people to trick children into chatting and sharing and young people being coerced into obtaining sexual images of other children," Kasina warned.
Furthermore, culprits are likely to gain a child's trust by using personal information gathered about a child to develop a connection and build secrecy with the aim of physically and emotionally separating a child from their family and friends.
According to the Cyber Expert, parents need to be role models to their children when it comes to promoting online safety.
"Practice what you preach. Kids learn just as much by watching you practice smart online safety behaviours and talking about your own experiences online," She noted.
Equally, developing skills in digital safety helps children and young people to understand that child sexual abuse is a crime.
It can happen face-to-face and online. It is also important to reinforce that online abuse is not a child’s fault.
Help them understand that there are signs to look out for online - and that together you can prevent it from happening.
Kasina further communicated that a child should have a minimum of two hours of screen time with a digital gadget.
"I have conversations with my children, and tell them about how a digital print can impact their lives in the future, the digital space is wide and children have access to a wide range of information, young children should not be allowed to visit the toilet with their gadgets as it also poses a risk to exposure," she revealed.
She further alluded that parents and learning institutions did not know that there exist safety nets to prevent their children from being exposed.
"There needs to be a standard such that when an institution has internet access certain things have to be installed, this can be effected by the Communication Authority policy-wise," she observed.
