From homework to staying in touch with friends and family, the internet is a valuable tool for kids to learn and stay connected.
At school, at home and even when they are supposed to be sleeping, children are on social media anywhere and everywhere! And it seems what they can access online has no limits.
Meta platforms estimate 100,000 children under 18 receive photos of adult genitalia or other sexually abusive content every day and Meta’s platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have allegedly connected underage users to potential predators.
“Current research is saying about one in four teens have received a sext,” said Katie Gallagher, Director of Education for Candor Health Education.
Here are things parents can do to protect their children from dangers online.
“Stay really attentive to how much time your child is spending on social media. Have very clear limits and pay attention to unusual mood fluctuations,” said Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist.
You can also turn on safe search filters, like Google SafeSearch, on computers, phones and tablets to block explicit images, videos, and websites.
Use parental controls to block specific apps and websites on phones and other devices.
And your internet service provider may be able to apply these filters and parental controls to TV channels as well. But these filters are not 100%.
“It’s so critical to talk to kids about these kinds of situations before they may find themselves in it,” explained Gallagher.
Another thing parents can do to keep their child away from inappropriate content is to use kid-friendly search engines like Kiddle, KidzSearch, Kidtopia and Google Scholar. These search engines bring up websites that are approved by educators.