Today is International Safer Internet Day. With the rise of internet searches by teens seeking online help regarding sexting and cyberbullying over the past year, it’s obvious we all need to step up our game to help our kids stay safe online. And that is exactly what we do at Neptune Navigate.
The Pandemic created fertile soil for online victimization. Kids were attending school on digital devices, often without supervision. Parents were working from home and were unable to monitor their kids’ devices adequately. This left an open door for our kids to be exposed to inappropriate content, cyberbullying and online predators. According to the national counseling service Kids Helpline, “….illegal and harmful content — mostly child sexual abuse material — increased by 123 per cent, and image-based abuse leapt by more than 172 per cent.” In addition, the rise in teens seeking online help for sexting has increased by 55 percent and 39 percent for cyberbullying since the beginning of the pandemic.
It’s important for parents to create boundaries with technology and make sure that kids understand these boundaries. Susan McLean, cybersafety expert and former police officer states, “Parents need to understand they are the gatekeeper to their child on the internet. That means they have to be an active participant in their child’s online world. They need to know what they’re doing, who they’re doing it with. The parent is often the only thing between a safe experience and an unsafe experience for a young person.” Oftentimes, parents do not feel equipped with the knowledge they need to help their children.
That’s why Neptune Navigate exists. We understand the challenges of parenting in the digital age, and the desire to help kids be smart and stay safe in the online world.
