Prabhat Khabar Special: What is your child doing on the Internet

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There was a time when children were glued to the TV all day and parents were worried about it. Time changed rapidly and today children in every house are entangled in the web of internet. This internet became a support during the Corona period when children could study online through it. But in many homes, children are glued to mobiles throughout the day and parents are also careless about whether their children are lost somewhere in this virtual world. A recent joint study by ‘CRY’ – Child Rights and You and Patna-based Chanakya National Law University is really worrying the parents.

what do these figures say

The study, conducted among 424 parents from Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, 384 teachers from the same states and 107 stakeholders from the three states of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, revealed that a large number of children are becoming victims of online abuse. According to 33.2 percent of the parents involved in the study, their children were contacted by strangers on online forums not only to befriend, ask for personal and family information and to give sexual advice regarding relationships, but also to share objectionable content. Not only this, online sexual communication was also done with the children.

children are easy prey

Ironically, children are not safe not only in the real world, but also in the virtual world. In the digitalized life, despite the presence of parents in their own homes, it cannot be said when the children peeping into the screen may get caught in the danger. Worryingly, this is not limited to insecurity and negative dialogue and content. It was also found in this study that people of sick mentality present in the internet world also use this medium for trafficking of children. By gathering information about children in many ways, they put their lives at risk. It is not difficult to understand that children easily get trapped in their trap by knowing personal information, routine, family background and emotional weaknesses. The number of children who are active on social sites, such cases of abuse and crime will also be countless, which do not come to the fore. Not only this, in many cases, the children trapped in such a cycle become victims of exploitation and fear and even take steps like suicide.

Online child sexual abuse cases on the rise

The world of smart gadgets and internet being in hand every moment has reduced the depth of thoughts and understanding towards the seriousness of situations. When adults are entangled in this senseless affair, then what to expect from the children. The net of the virtual world has spread to villages and towns. But the proper understanding of the use of these mediums is missing. People of any age group are neither understanding nor want to understand that there is a need for a code of conduct for the virtual world as well. Be it personal information or instant news, everything cannot be served on such public forums. Seeing elders lost in this elusive world, the amount of time children are spending online, the cases of exploitation and abuse are also increasing in the same proportion. Even the children of the rural environment, who were once considered to teach the lesson of grassroots lifestyle, are not untouched by this. The same study has revealed that there have been more incidents of online child sexual abuse and abuse in rural areas than in cities.

According to this research, 40 percent of the children aged 14-18 who became victims of online abuse were girls, while 33 percent of boys in the same age group became victims of this negative behavior. Parents settled in remote areas told that a large number of children are becoming victims of exploitation in the virtual world. Parents in rural areas shared more about their children experiencing online abuse.

confused innocent mind

Online abuse by strangers is no small thing. It deeply affects the mind and brain of the children. After connecting with unknown people in the virtual world, facing such material and questions is frightening to the children as well as misleading to the child. In such circumstances, children become victims of fear and confusion. 26 percent of teachers who participated in the same study found that children who were victims of online abuse also showed changes in their mood and behavior. These changes include not being able to concentrate at work and being absent from school without a good reason. For this change in behavior, 20.9 percent teachers also said that the use of smartphones in the school is more. In this world of familiarity all the time, children surrounded by unknown faces are not only getting trapped in the web of criminals, their emotional and personal development is also being hindered. Due to spending time in this virtual world away from social life, physical and mental sensory development of children is being adversely affected. The scope of socialism is not happening, the wrong intentions of anti-social elements have also become a problem for the children.

Parents’ vigilance is necessary

In every era, the priorities related to saving childhood and showing the right path keep changing. In today’s time, it has become necessary to protect children from the entanglements of the online world. However, by limiting the internet usage of children, they cannot be saved from the side effects of social media. All kinds of material is available here. Judicious use of social media and proper monitoring can increase the scope of knowledge and understanding of children. That’s why ban is not a solution. Yes, it is important for parents to be aware of what content the children are watching here, how much time they are spending. It is necessary for the parents to understand the mental and physical changes coming in the child according to the age and to have a meaningful dialogue. It is necessary to make children aware of the reality of these sites which connect them to a virtual world.

Every parent has to be aware that in which direction the child is going by connecting with people knowingly or unknowingly on social sites? Studies related to the habits of using social networking sites show that there is a need to be aware of the online safety of Indian teenagers. Many people are present in this illusory world who understand their mind by joining the friend list and seeing the posts shared by the children. Looking for new ways to carry out criminal activities through the updates received from the internet world. Children are their easiest prey. Parents themselves should be role models. Be careful using these forums. Be socially active in the real world instead of online all the time. Such behavior of elders can become an example for children. Which will prove to save them from other complications even while being creatively present in the virtual world.

Do tell these things to the children

• Tell the child that everything available on the internet is not true, so whatever he sees or reads, verify its truth from many places and then believe in it.

• Tell him what are the types of information that he should not share with anyone else online.

• Children use social sites and email the most. Cybercriminals can easily hack all your information. So teach children how to make their password strong. Also teach to be aware of fake emails coming regarding offers or schemes etc.

• Allow limited use of social sites. Here you should know about their friends, otherwise many times the children get spoiled by falling in the wrong company. Teach them to stay away from porn sites too.

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