Internet crime is on the rise.
Between 2014 and 2016 cyber-related criminal activity has increased from a little more than 15,000 cases to 24,000 cases, according to Statistics Canada.
More than 22 per cent of those crimes specifically targeted youth, varying from the making and distributing of child pornography to exploitation and child luring.
The stats illustrate that while the internet might be a major source of information and convenience, it is also a dangerous place, which can be underestimated due to the impersonal nature of devices and the fact it is often accessed from the safety of home.
Yet, more children are falling victim to predators or to their own curiosity. A YouTube study conducted in 2013 demonstrated that despite parental filters, children searching seemingly innocent material such as Sesame Street were only two to four clicks away from adult, graphic or explicit material thanks to the suggested video sidebar.
Though social media sites such as Instagram often have a 13-year-old age restriction many children younger than that have profiles. Not only do social media sites potentially expose children to adult material they also put them at risk of being exposed to would-be predators.
Sexual predators often pose as younger people to lure children into vulnerable and dangerous situations. Not to mention social media images are nearly impossible to protect.
A recent story by the Toronto Star reported that Twitter accounts selling porn or sex services were using selfies copied from legitimate users of the social media network to market their illicit services.
Another article in the National Post revealed that pedophiles and child pornographers were stealing photos of children to use on child “sexual abuse imagery sites, pedophile photo-sharing galleries and highly sexualized ‘child modeling’ websites.” Many stolen images are sexualized through digital altering.
Last week, Paul Davis who specializes in online safety for parents, teachers and youth, spoke at Bearspaw School about the dangers online activity poses to children.
Most notable in his remarks was the role parents play at putting their own children at risk – albeit unintentionally.
He said parents’ illiteracy of social media sites combined with loose rules on their children’s internet usage may be at the root of the problem, emphasizing the remark by saying, “That’s called failing a kid in 2018.”
He’s right.
All too often, cell phones, tablets, computers and other devices becomes babysitting tools, which means youth are left alone to police themselves or are put at risk of stumbling across adult content or exploitive users.
The consequences range from momentary shock, long-term psychological trauma and abuse.
Davis’ lesson is simple. Children should not be left unsupervised online, their internet should be limited and when it comes to social media if you don’t understand how it works enough to police it, your children should not be on it.
Technology changes fast and unfortunately people find ways to exploit it just as quickly. Like any tool, the internet comes with risks and dangers if used improperly or ignorantly. It is the responsibility of parents to make sure their children are prepared to navigate those risks safely and intelligently.
