Dangerous Websites

 As everybody knows, including our children, we are living in troublesome times. There has been dramatic changes in the routine of our lives, family interactions and the constant presence of electronic devices in all our lives.  Some of these changes are very, very good and some are very, very worrisome. 

The chair of the council on Communications and Media at the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. N. Ameenuddin, discussed in healthychildren.org how dangerous websites lure kids in and how parents can keep them safe.  Parents and their children have become even more online than ever before.  Dr. Ameenuddin says “that it is very easy for kids to access material that is not intended for a young viewer, whether it’s dangerous or mature programming.  They can be exposed to a lot of inflammatory media and sources that claim to be news but are actually propaganda sites that draw kids in with persuasive design and lead them down the rabbit hole to increasingly disturbing misinformation and disinformation.”

It is important that parents, teachers and other caregivers are aware of what children are doing online.  Kids can access anonymous chat rooms and video-chat with strangers on websites and apps.  Despite warnings on the sites, kids may not recognize that the person they are chatting with has bad intentions.  Caregivers know that they need to teach their children about “stranger danger” and “not to take candy from strangers” but these sites can also be very clever and attractive to young people.

Dr. Ameenuddin goes on the say that “both parents and children need to be educated about the potential dangers and how they can work to set up privacy settings so that they limit their risk and can extract themselves from situations that don’t feel right”.

Some of the signs that a child’s interest in the internet is unhealthy include the following:

Time spent on the internet takes away from other activities such as school, social connections or exercise.
•   A child loses sleep due to internet use.
•   A child views or engages in violent media.
•   Using the internet affects a child’s mood negatively or decreases attention.

As we are all aware the internet can be a powerful and helpful tool for maintaining connection and will continue to be so after the pandemic is over.  We are also aware that it is very easy to overuse something, even a good something.

Dr. Ameenuddin gives the following advice for parents:
•   Be aware of what your kids is doing online.  Know how much time is spent online and what they are accessing.
•   Talk to kids about how they spend their internet time.
•   Set ground rules on where the internet can be used and about sharing usernames and passwords.
•   Recognize that the internet has positive aspects and teach children how to navigate it safely.
•   Recognize that adults as well as children are susceptible to attractive sites. That is why we have such expressions before the internet as a”wolf in sheep’s clothing” or “buyer beware”.