Combating child abuse on devices

While child abuse, cyberbullying and sexual predatory behaviour have long been associated with the open internet, the means to target children and young people have become more intelligent and increasingly sophisticated.

The study also found that a majority of parents did not have the information needed to effectively fight child exploitation on the web and ultimately on their smartphones, blaming a generational technological gap. While you don’t have to be an expert, supervision and guidance are key. You can start with these steps:

• Download the available protection software and apps, including a new smartphone app, called Operation Predator — that enables users to provide online tips to the authorities, receive alerts about wanted predators, and share information via social media platforms. This app is available through the Apple App Store.

• Contact your phone carrier to find tools available to control adult content and services.

• Install parental locks as found on smartphones. In the case of an iPhone, linking home and remote devices through iCloud allows parents to monitor their child’s messages, internet habits and photo and video sharing.

• Ensure that your child’s phone is kept in a safe place and has a security password to prevent others from accessing or finding personal information.

• Counsel your children not to respond if contacted by someone they do not know, especially if asked to do something that doesn’t feel right. Save the message and the number, username or email address of the sender so that you can take action.

Given the ever-evolving face of technology, ensuring that the lines of communication are clear between parent and child, and genuine listening without judging makes all the difference. An open environment where a child feels safe to speak about what’s on their mind, combined with stringent supervision and up-to-date knowledge will lead to the judicious use of new technologies when it comes to keeping your child safe.