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| The cyber world of our kids
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| How visible are yours?
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By Sophie Cross
Recently I was hauled over the coals by my daughter's primary school Deputy Head, after the school (which tracks any online mention of its name) found a YouTube post by my ten-year-old daughter, which was deemed inappropriate.
No, there was no porn or self harm or anything awful going on, but my daughter and friends had posted a couple of videos of themselves doing gymnastics in their skimpy leotards and they had also recounted some "embarrassing school stories", mentioning their school's name and the name of a classmate to whom one of these embarrassing incidents happened.
It was all very innocent and not intended to offend or entice. To my daughter and friends all they were doing was filming a funny video and a "how to" of gymnastics in their gear, naïve to the dangers of the perverts who trawl the web. However their actions highlighted the dangers of the cyber world our children live in and how important it is to a. educate them about it and b. make sure we as parents are entirely across it.
I had a chat with my daughter about the fact that what she puts online is visible to everyone, nice and nasty, and deleted my daughter's YouTube account. She was actually very happy about this and certainly learnt a lesson or two herself. She was quite happy for me to monitor her Instagram (which is on private settings) on a daily basis. Mostly it's just full of inane 10-year-old girl's chat and photos of their pets and Crossy Road game scores. But you just never know.
I work in the media. I know my way around YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but although I work with them every day, I wasn't across what my daughter was doing on them. It was a valuable lesson for me too.
Children are unbelievably capable when it comes to navigating YouTube, Instagram, Twitter etc and they're all at it. There is hardly any lower age limit. As soon as they are able to play on a computer, tablet or smartphone, they can partake in cyber activity. It's not hard to register account no matter how young you are. And even things like Moshi Monsters and Moviestar Planet are highly dubious when it comes to knowing who else is on there and monitoring contact.
As far as YouTube is concerned, little girls and boys are addicted to the teenage or early 20s vloggers. These successful individuals have made vast amounts of money and fame posting Minecraft and other gaming videos. YouTubers like JoeyGraceffa post diary vlogs about their daily lives; Australia's Troye Sivan and Matty B post music videos; there are parodies and silliness from duos like USA's SMOSH or fashion and beauty videos like those from the hugely popular UK blogger, fashion consultant and now author, Zoella.
And little kids want to emulate these online celebrities, so they start filming themselves doing how-tos, gymnastic routines, fashion and beauty "hauls" and playing online games.
It's not just teenagers who are doing this either, it's primary and pre-school kids. Many of whom will have parents or older siblings who are constantly on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Tumblr and who also regularly post videos of their own children. So it's hardly surprising when the children themselves start posting their own.
If you or your child is on one of these social media platforms, make the account settings private. Do not let the outside world in. Only friends who are invited should be able to view videos or photos of your children. They all have privacy settings. They can all be made invisible to the general public.
In a move to educate children on the internet and dangers of cyberbullying as well as trolling and catfish activity, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation recently announced that it has teamed up with Google to provide an eSmart Digital Licence to every grade six student in Australia, an initiative that aims to educate children on web safety.
A $1.2 million grant from Google is going towards offering this licence free-of-charge to 300,000 school children in Australia.
"The Alannah and Madeline Foundation's mission hasn't changed, but the technology that our children use has," Maile Carnegie, Managing Director of Google Australia & New Zealand, wrote on the official Google Australia Blog.
She continued: "Today every classroom has computers, and children often bring tablets and smartphones to school. This would have seemed unimaginably futuristic when the foundation first began. The Internet expands the scope for children to explore and learn, but it also compels us to teach them new responsibilities and new ways to stay safe."
The online-based initiative will see children complete eight learning modules, which aim to evaluate their understanding of cybersafety and give them the skills needed to interact with others online. Each module takes around 15 minutes to complete, which makes it perfect for students to use with teachers in the classroom.
Dr. Judith Slocombe, CEO of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, said the initiative will create a dialogue between children and their parents, guardians and teachers about online safety issues.
"It is so important for adults to have regular conversations about what's going on in their child's online world," Dr. Slocombe said.
"We know that almost nine in every ten 10-11 year olds say parents are their first port of call when they have an online safety issue. However, many parents feel ill-equipped to advise their children and say they need support."
Grade 6 teachers can sign up for the free digital licences at: www.digitallicence.com.au.
The government also has a site dedicated to educating parents and children on cyber safety: www.cybersmart.gov.au.
For parents of younger children, click here for resources for parents of kids from 4-7 years old.
For more on The Alannah and Madeline Foundation click here
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| Sophie Cross is a PR, writer, mum and soft touch when it comes to small furry animals. She grew up in the south-east of England, but has lived in France, Italy, Australia and in the beautiful Lecrin Valley (Valle de Lecrin), Andalucia. She has worked with CareforKids.com.au since 2006. She lives in Limpsfield, Surrey (UK), surrounded by pretty villages, the rolling hills of the North Downs and the delightfully picturesque M25! Read more by Sophie
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