be careful out there
I read an intriguing article t’other day on where exactly our children go online, and you’d never guess where? Yeah, they sign in to social media & networking sites that leave them open to cyber-bullying, they visit auction sites that actively encourage them to buy things they don’t need, go gaming and spend money on rewards for the next level of apocalyptic doom, and send saucy snaps via snapchat to their pals for a laugh. And, shock horror worst of all, they visit porn sites. And damn those little blighters if they don’t always get round the parental settings of their machines!
Wasn’t it always thus? Back in the day it was about where you could hide the nudie-mags from your mother, or how to find out where your ol’ man hid his stash! Thirty, OK forty years ago, we were taught not to accept sweets from strangers, stroke little puppy dogs in cars or go to the swings after lighting-up time, but in today’s digitally-savvy world, staying safe online is notoriously difficult. And so it should be when a recent survey by security firm McAfee (megalomaniac John McAfee anyone?) highlights the fact that over 80% of teenagers openly admit they know how to hide their online behaviour from the likes of you and me. And I don’t believe the remaining 20% for one second! I personally hadn’t a clue what my son used to get up to online when he was their age and, truth be told, I was more worried that he find out about my activity than I was about his!
The understandable knee-jerk reaction of most parents would be to restrict, limit or remove internet access but, think about this logically, and it’s going to elicit exactly the opposite of the desired result – in a world where they feel they need to be connected 24/7, any threat of expulsion will understandably result in you not being told anything. Zip. Nadda. Nicht. Doh. Be smarter, remember Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau and to catch a thief, you need to think life a thief! Failing this, and perhaps to prevent you from being labelled a peado, why not go with a little honesty, ground rules and open communication between generations? God forbid we actually talk to them.
A final resort was kindly offered by one of the interviewees, Tom, 15, from London: “Never, ever buy your son or daughter anything electrical or technical – laptop, smartphone, Xbox, tablet, e-reader, desktop. Nothing. Buy them a bike and get them cycling down the canal.” Just don’t accept any sweets from the strangers who lurk there…
Dave Gingell responds:
Agree with your points. I’d love to see what cookies and history lies on your PC! BTW John McAfee the locked-up, maverick founder of the company that bears his name, ceased to be associated with it years ago. I know it was something that irritated a few of my acquaintances who worked for the company last year, when the cops were hunting John McAfee in far flung islands for murder, and it cast a poor light on their employer.
