Educate children instead of spying on them
We should teach our children how to interpret situations on the internet, to help them remain in control and have a better chance of not falling victim to online dangers.
Spying, for me, has a very negative connotation and implies that there is an absence of trust between parents and children. If I educate my children on how to handle difficult situations online and befriend them during their early years, I would not need to spy on them, because they would keep me in the loop about any situation they encounter online.
A child on the internet, without the supervision of parents, is like a home without a roof. Both children and young teens may receive harmful advice from strangers in online chat rooms, which could include asking them to view pornographic clips that might harm them. In addition, they could easily fall prey to paedophiles or predators who try to contact young people for cyber stalking, pornography or cybersex.
Internet risks that children might encounter could be avoided, if parents make an effort to encourage their children’s schools to implement stronger and more effective internet safety programs. Parents then also need to complement this learning at home, by discussing internet dangers with their children and taking the necessary precautions, such as limiting their access to Wi-Fi and installing computers in family rooms rather than closed bedrooms.
Sadly, when children see inappropriate things online, even in small doses, it may have a long-lasting impact on their mental health development. By building their resilience, communication skills and a strong parent-child bond, we can better equip children to face these possible dangers without the need to spy on them.
From Ms Aisha Abdulnoor Al Janahi
Writer based in Dubai
Enforcement is the only way to discipline teens
A child’s mind is like clay that can be moulded into any desired shape. In the present scenario, where children at an impressionable age are exposed to different adult mannerisms, it becomes essential to enforce guidance. Content available to children online is highly unfiltered, and what they learn from the world may be too dangerous. Teenage years, especially, come with their own side effects for parents. Hormonal changes can lead to stubborn, thoughtless and distressed behaviour among teenagers. It is easier for them to trust online sources more than people around them, even parents. In such a case, discipline and other values can only be ‘enforced’ and not really taught. The world around teenagers is full of a variety of people doing a variety of things; some good, some bad. What a child learns is completely personal and individualistic. Parents, to an extent, can control what their child learns, only by enforcing rules upon them. Drug abuse, attitude problems, smoking, peer pressure, and so on, are some common problems that teenagers face. Bringing children closer to books, pushing them to follow a routine, keeping a regular check on their activities, and spending some quality time with them can prove more beneficial and effective than anything else. Children now have easier access to all sorts of magazines, journals and content that puts no bar on age. Parents may, therefore, need to be a little more stringent. Teenagers cannot distinguish between right and wrong effectively, I think. Enforcing rules makes children disciplined and leaves them with better judgment, which is an essential trait for survival today.
From Mr Kanishk Priyadarshi Student of social sciences and humanities, based in Noida, India.
Rules help set clear boundaries
It is not only effective, but it is essential to enforce rules on teenagers. I believe that people generally feel more comfortable when there are set rules, because they know what is expected of them, and can be confident when they are within their boundaries, and will not worry whether what they are doing is okay. Teenagers, in particular, are still learning the difference between right and wrong, and what is considered acceptable in society and what is not. Boundaries and rules set by parents help the child learn what is acceptable and what is not, so that they can be happier teenagers and can become responsible adults. Without rules, children will have to learn the hard way how far they can go, and will often find themselves in trouble, not only with their parents, but also with friends, in school, and maybe even with the law. When parents set rules, the child will have a comfort zone in which to live, and will have clear ideas of what they can and cannot do, without having to find that boundary on their own through trial and error. Just as an employee needs clear expectations in order to please his or her manager, a child needs clear expectations as well. Rules define these expectations.
From Ms Shannon Thomas
Manager of production planning at a data management firm, based in the US.
Lack of trust in children will backfire
Parents will always be concerned about the safety and security of their children. Modern technology provides immense options as protection. One research estimates over 70 million people across North America and Europe will use programs to track family members by 2016. Some 20 million people have already downloaded ‘Life 360’, a location app that alerts about someone’s arrival at various spots and allows people to follow one another’s movements with by-the-minute updates.
Terming this as a lack of trust in children, will be too much of an understatement. Today, the technology exists for parents to spy on their children in all sorts of ways, but that doesn’t mean that they should. It’s hard to believe for many people, but children have some basic human rights as well, and I think that privacy should be one of them. Surveillance may be part and parcel of the modern world, but there are other ways to keep children safe. Educate children about the responsible use of smartphones, why they should not speak to strangers or explain to them the dangers of the internet. This would create a stronger bond of mutual trust and respect between a child and parents. The core issues are safety and respect. A lack of trust will only force the more tech-savvy children of today, to conceal their activities from their parents, especially in a crisis situation when they need parents’ support more. I disagree that it is essential for children to have a smartphone. However, limited use of this facility for emergency communications is justified.
From Mr Sumanta Banerjee
Chief financial officer and chartered accountant, based in Dubai
Smartphones can keep children safe
As a young person who has lived and studied away from my family for some years now, I feel the smartphone is a necessary tool for keeping a security check on children. In a world where paedophiles and child-stalking is rampant, it is but natural for parents to feel secure when children have a source of contact with them, in a situation where they feel threatened. It is a competitive world and these days, it is common for teenagers to live away from family for better educational opportunities. With the innovation of new phone apps, which use global positioning systems (GPS) to track the whereabouts of children, it becomes simpler to make sure that they are safe. I use WhatsApp and other social media channels to stay in touch with my family, and if faced with emergency situations, I know that they are available at my fingertips, to answer queries. Such applications can only be accessed on smartphones. I understand that this comes with a risk of what else one’s child might access on the internet, and how it can also leave the child’s location details vulnerable to stalkers or strangers on the internet. This is where parents have to play a role and educate children about internet safety, privacy controls and make sure that children know the dangers involved in downloading apps or programs that are not trustworthy. I think many children these days are actually aware of the dangers and know about privacy filters. If children are educated and trusted well, smartphones will prove beneficial in ensuring safety of children.
From Ms Neha Clare Jose
Information technology (IT) audit intern, based in the US.
