MODERN-DAY CHALLENGES OF INTERNET USE ON KIDS

In our ever-changing world, it’s in our best interest to evolve with it. Technology has made parenting seamless when it comes to kids’ entertainment especially for working parents. Mobile phones, computers and tablets have become our regular household devices that seek to enlighten our kids on what’s going on in the world. Most kids nowadays are more conversant with YouTube channels than they are with regular TV shows. Gone are the days when kids used to sit in front of the TV hours on end. 

YouTube is quickly becoming the family’s go-to for kids’ education and entertainment. YouTube kids is specifically targeted for those between the ages of 3-8 and features TV shows, cartoons, music and educational videos. These videos are fun, colorful, high-definition in an easy to navigate an environment where kids can quickly roam through a vast array of videos. This platform is designed to be as safe as possible for kids via the use of parental controls. YouTube APP monitor allows parents to know what their kid has been up to by viewing all the history of the site. The new visual of FamiSafe App helps parents get real-time updates on the location of their kids. Parents simply need to log onto the website and remotely monitor what their kid is up to.

Parents and guardians who allow their kids to use YouTube assume that they are a team working at the back office, carefully sorting each video to make sure of its content. This couldn’t be further from the truth, inappropriate content still manages to make it past the filters. Kids are vulnerable individuals who cannot discern what to take in and what not to. Predators and pedophiles are always on the prow waiting to lure underage victims with inappropriate content such as;

• PORNOGRAPHY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The internet has made access to pornography easy and is quickly becoming a social issue both for adults and children. Kids browsing the internet are at constant risk of unwanted exposure to sexually explicit content. Producers of pornography create pop-up messages that prompt the user to click. Pornography seems to promote aggression and violence directed to women making kids think that it’s socially okay to violate the rights of women. Pornography for older kids of above 8 years gives them an unrealistic expectation when it comes to intimacy issues and how they can relate to their future partners.

• ONLINE BULLYING

Physical bullying in schools has been around since the times of our forefathers, the internet now gives them a new platform for their activities. The internet has been reported to carry serious cases of cyberbullying leading to dangerous ends such as suicide and murder. Online trolls are keyboard warriors who seek to harass, threaten or target another person. Cyberbullying in kids can sometimes prove hard to spot as it can occur in several ways such as a simple text, a retweet or just a comment.

• ACCESS TO DRUGS

The internet has offered a platform where entrepreneurs can conduct their trade and drug dealers have hopped onto this bandwagon. Drug users post videos on YouTube to show how cool drug abuse is to kids and teenagers. This has lured a lot of kids who fall prey due to peer pressure. This crime done on the dark web is hard for authorities to immediately detect or estimate the number of drugs sold online. Drug abuse has lead kids into depression, suicide and eventually to death as a result of an overdose.