Think Before You Upload

The internet is today’s modern playground and is just as good or bad as the people who use it. We have been teaching young people about stranger danger for 20 years, this is the modern version. Young people must think about the digital footprint they are creating and who could be viewing it. 
 

In my work with the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and similarly working closely with colleagues in America ( FBI), Europe ( Interpol) and Australasia( AFP),   research indicates 1 in 4 young people online will be approached by someone they don’t know. A startling 31 percent of young people have received unwanted sexual content online with only 7 per cent of their parents knowing about it. 

More after the jump.

There are some great thoughts that we can take from this. Young people must be empowered and engaged to take control of their digital environment. Programs like  Think Before You Upload and The Australian Federal Governments new classroom presentation Thinkuknow www.thinkuknow.org.au teaches young people about the risks of online and mobile technology, in a fun way. In my experience the answer is not unplugging the computer it is simply being proactive.

Our kids are smart, mostly we just have to connect the dots showing them the offline consequences for their online actions. 

Secondly parents should talk to their children’s schools to ensure one of these great free programs is being run. In the mean time a top tip is to take the computer out of your child’s bedroom and place it in a public place in the house. This allows another pair of eyes to scan what is happening online, but still lets your child have fun. 

Finally young people should  also know where to go if they are worried on concerned about something or someone online. They can report directly to the police  at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com by clicking on the big red report abuse button. These reports are taken seriously.