When it comes to protecting babies and toddlers, parents obviously focus on the immediate threats they can see.  However, as children get older their worlds expand outside of the home and into the neighborhood, playground and eventually school.  Add computers into the mix and it’s not surprising the task of protecting kids for most parents becomes overwhelming.

How does a parent teach their children about online predators without scaring them?  What types of conversations are appropriate for each age?  Of course, the goal is for kids to feel safe in the world and online as we set up proper boundaries to protect them.  Yet, somehow they need to be involved in the conversation without causing too much anxiety.

Your child needs to be informed enough so they can do their part to understand and know their boundaries.  Your child also needs to know that if they notice certain behaviors that you’ve taught them to look out for, they will be ready to tell you right away so you can protect your kids online.

Protecting Children from Predators

Here are some ways to help parents educate their kids on the topic of online safety from predators.  We will also share some tips on what a parents can do so that their children don’t have to worry and be overly frightened when interacting with friends on social media or when surfing the web.

Apps and websites to be aware of where online predators can view or begin to communicate with children.  This can happen when kids they give out their personal contact information or allow strangers to connect with them on social media.  The most popular apps that kids and teens are using include:  Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Discord, Houseparty, Ask.fm, VSCO, Kik, and the world’s more widely used app; Whatsapp.

How to Warn Children about The Dangers

It’s not uncommon for parents to avoid talking about these difficult subjects with their kids.  The first thing you can feel good about is that there are ways to have these conversations and still remain positive.  For example, when talking about bad people, it’s important to let your children know that most people are good.  A positive way to bring it up is to make it personal.  You can begin talking about kids they know in school. Some of them are not very kind or they may even be bullies.

Children are not dumb.  They know good behavior when they see it.  And they know bad.  Most people are not mean.  Most are not cyberbullies, yet these people still exist.  Now you can transition the conversation to adults.  Some adults are this way as well, even after they grow up.  But most adults who want to hurt people will pretend to be nice so they can get something they want.  Your kids may know other kids like this as well.

The older your child is, the more you can tell them what these bad grown ups online are trying to do.  The teach your kids the signs to be aware of so they can let you know when it happens. You can also include in the conversation about inappropriate touch even from someone close to their age. As they grow older kids need to be taught about consent and what that means.

Teach Your Children the Signs of an Online Predator

If you are uncomfortable with the word predator, especially with younger children, you can refer to them as ‘adults who want to hurt others’.  Yes, even kids.  They may seem nice, but they have hidden secret motives.  Just like parents teach their kids to be aware of strangers outside and not get into a car with them, the signs online may be a little more subtle but obvious if you know what they’re looking for.  Online predictors ask personal questions.  They try to get private information from you.

The other element kids need to know is that online strangers lie about who they are, at least at first.  They may pretend to be much younger than they are.  They may pose as someone the same age as your child, or at least just a few years older in their late teens or early 20’s.  This is especially true for teens being preyed upon.

Rule #1 is to make sure your child never gives out any personal information.  This is regardless of a person’s motives.  You can teach them that we don’t even tell people who call from our banks our personal information.  It’s probably someone trying to steal our money.  Just like there are online scams to be aware of, there are people who want to get close to kids and they shouldn’t trusted.

Ban Chat Rooms

One of the most common areas that a predator will target children is an online chat room. If the predator is talking to a child in a one-on-one chat room, they can build a relationship with them. This is what you want to avoid at all costs. Public chat rooms are accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, but you can restrict your child’s access to them.  Unbeknownst to most parents, the popular app TikTok can actually work as a chat room using their live stream feature.

You have the choice of blocking these websites using parental control monitoring, or talking about them with your child. If your child promises to stay away from these types of sites, that may be sufficient as long as you have a way to check in once in a while to monitor they are not using chat rooms.

Things get more dangerous is someone your child is talking to someone in a chat room lives close by.  Chats can turn into texts and the possibility of meeting.  All the more vital for your child to know that anyone online may not be who they say they are.  This can even happen on social media.

Ensure Children’s are not Accessing the Dark Web

Many people do not know what the dark web is exactly. They may have heard it referenced on a TV show as a place where criminals surf the internet to evade capture, or unscrupulous people access very bad content.  It’s not illegal to be on there and allows anonymity. Your child won’t stumble upon it using a regular browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.  Parents should be vigilant and be aware of how their kids are accessing the internet. Check for strange or unknown browsers, as well as software, on any device children are using.  If in doubt about any suspicious installation you find, simply “Google It” to learn what it may be used for.

Help Them with Privacy Settings

If your child has a social media or online video game account, their information is readily accessible to whoever wants to see it. You can reduce this risk of possible stalking by helping your child set up secure privacy settings.  Your child may not be interacting on chatroom, but there are online predictors (and predator groups) that find and share easily accessible information about where children live, play and go to school.  Typically, training and helping kids with their privacy settings would include changing the settings so that only their friends can view their photos and posts. This will also block unsolicited messages from people who are not on their friends and contacts lists.

Parents need to also check their own privacy settings. Often a way for online predators to get to children is through their parents social media accounts.  Consider everything you post online about yourself and your kids.  Make no personal information is included or public due to lack of proper privacy settings.

This tip also includes helping your child choose a strong password. Identity theft is a common occurrence even with children and can have disastrous consequences. Teach them to use different passwords for different accounts and make them difficult to guess. Then, you will need to stress the importance of not sharing their passwords with anyone, even with their friends or significant others.

Stay Aware of Your Child’s Friends

It is a good idea to be aware of what is going on in your child’s life for multiple reasons. Being familiar with their friends will give you a heads up if they start mentioning a new name. You will be able to have a chat about who this new friend is and where they met. It may be a legitimate friend, but if this person sounds suspicious, you will be better prepared to deal with the situation.  Taking the time to talk to your kids about inappropriate dangers online is the first time to implementing all of these strategies.  It’s something parents and kids can and should do together.  This way, no one is left in the dark.

The Dangers of Online Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are linked to several significant concerns, including the following:

• Predator grooming
• Exposure to creepy material
• Information disclosure
• Access to private information, including messages and videos.

Predator Grooming

Sadly, many predators are lurking online who want to exploit kids. The police have warned parents in many ways about predators who were hanging out on sites like Omegle, which had been a hot spot for predators. These can be exploited in many ways. Some predators “groom” kids by establishing friendships, possibly presenting themselves as someone else, such as another child of the same age, and then attempting to exploit the child. This has resulted in more than one Omegle lawsuit as victims seek justice and compensation.

Children can be frightened of complying with predator demands by observing their behavior. Upon gaining a kid’s trust, they may tell them to take their friendship to another platform, requesting the exchange of creepy messages, images, or videos, or requesting a face-to-face meeting. A standard method of obtaining child pornography is through sextortion, which involves sexually explicit material as part of the extortion. Although the victim may not have provided any of such material, this strategy may still be employed.

Exposure to Creepy Material

Reviewers say that video chat features, such as appearing nude or performing sexual acts on-screen, have attracted the most negative reviews. This unavoidable exposure to creepy content is a concern shared by both parents and children. Children today are expected to be exposed to pornography by a young age, on average 11, in the age of modern digital technology. Although unintentionally witnessing a stranger perform sexual acts live is disturbing to some young minds, it’s not for everyone.

Every parent and child should be aware of what the application is before using any platform. Omegle was known for having explicit content that cannot be avoided, so no matter what users are looking for, they might be exposed. There have even been instances where reviewers say they were exposed to child pornography, violence, and even bestiality.

Both law enforcement and reviewers question video tracking effectiveness, though some video clips are monitored. The site says: “Understand that human behavior is fundamentally unpredictable and may not follow appropriate standards.”

Information Disclosure

Exposing personal information is one area in which kids often lack judgment. Even though chat rooms may make users anonymous, children are surprisingly willing to divulge details about themselves, such as names, ages, birth dates, the place where they live and school they attend, and other personal details. The information contained in these sites can be hazardous if it ends up in the hands of hackers or child predators.

Users of text chat can remain anonymous until they give out any personal information. According to its website, you can chat anonymously unless you choose to tell other users who you are, and also you can end a chat whenever you wish. It is also important to note that either of the users can choose to retain the entire chat in some shareable link format.

Access to Private Information

A chat room’s server are reportedly vulnerable to hackers gaining access to chat records, including messages and videos. Hackers may use any information grouped with a person’s name, social media handles, or exact address for indecent purposes, such as fraud, phishing attacks, online stalking, and even offline stalking. The victim could be harassed or extorted using creepy messages, images, or videos.

The following information was collected and stored by Omegle according to its privacy policy:

• Data regarding each chat and participants’ IP addresses, cookies, and timestamps.
• All the full-text chat messages that users have saved.
• For moderation purposes, images are captured from video chat sessions.

Omegle was shut down by owner and operator Leif K-Brooks on November 8th, 2023.  He said in a statement that Omegle started to be misused by some in order to commit unspeakably heinous crimes.  Leif willingly worked with law enforcement to stop predators from using the site, but the stress and expense of maintaining the chat room became too much.

Further Steps to Protect Children

One-to-one conversations on a stranger platform are risky. Children should be taught that the more information they share, the greater chance of predators misusing it. Chat rooms and even online games pose a threat to the online security of your child. Cybercriminals can target your kids with just one wrong click on these apps. You should block these apps immediately to protect your child.

Direct your kids to reputable social media groups and online forums where they could connect with like-minded people more safely. This isn’t to say that they are completely safe, and they indeed have their own set of problems, but eliminating the anonymity does help mitigate those risks.

When deciding which apps you will allow your kids to use, here are a few tips:

First, try to access the app on your own:  You will find it helpful to see firsthand what you’re dealing with if you’re permitting your child to use it (or if you already know they’re doing so). An app may not necessarily be set up to communicate with strangers, but there may be loop holes where conversations can be initiated.

Use the app together with your child and discuss it:  If you are not familiar with an app, use it with your child to see if there are any red flags regarding connections with strangers or an opportunity to see explicit content.

Educate about data security:  It is vital to reinforce the need to keep personal data private. Children should know that even if accounts are purported to be anonymous, there are still ways a stranger can find out what they are doing.

It is worth repeating discussions about the permanence of online data. If someone used a screen recorder or screenshot app, you can make anything that happens live permanent but reposting it elsewhere.

Parental Controls on Computers, Tablets and Phones

Even if you trust your child, there are still many ways that they can be manipulated online.  All of your child’s computers and tablets should have some level of parental control on them.  Let’s not forget that phones are little pocket computers too, and possibly the most dangerous if kids are not savvy to how predictors can access their information.  There are way to protect your devices using built in parental controls that also provide resources to protect children from online predators.

Restricting use a child’s computer to a shared space will make it harder for children to access dangerous websites.  Parental controls also allow parents to limited usage to specific parts of the day so that kids can’t access the internet late at night.  The best parental controls also includes geo tracking and monitoring of texts and suspicious photos.

Being good citizens can mean connecting with others, exercising empathy, and forming friendships. The concept of digital citizenship is quite similar, but it involves using modern devices like computers to form those connections.

With the world spinning toward virtual gatherings and learning more than ever before, it’s never been more important to understand the concept of digital citizenship

Generally, this can be summed up with nine elements and there are a plethora of activities to teach digital citizenship. Here, we’re providing an overview of those nine tenets to ensure you — and your tech-savvy kids or students — are mindful of how you’re exercising digital citizenship.

Be sure to download the Digital Citizenship PDF
resources found at the end of this page.

1. Digital access

Not everyone can afford modern technology. We should strive to accommodate people with less digital access by providing alternatives to classroom assignments or making required technology available.

2. Digital etiquette

Those who aren’t used to computers may take online feedback personally. Anonymous online profiles can make people feel combative and negative. However, by teaching digital etiquette, we can learn to treat digital interactions the same as real ones.

3. Digital commerce

Digital commerce has become commonplace — people of all ages buy things online. Without knowledge of digital commerce, people’s personal information can be put at risk. Teaching online safety how to properly navigate the web can help us understand how to avoid putting our personal information at risk.

4. Digital rights and responsibilities

Using anonymity to bully people on the internet takes away their right to be safe online. Teaching digital rights and responsibilities means teaching that respecting people online is just as important as respecting them in real life.

5. Digital literacy

Digital literacy involves spreading awareness of these nine elements and helping others treat the internet responsibly. It also teaches people to recognize fake information. Tools like the Originality.ai Fact Checker can assist in verifying the authenticity of online content. Since so many vital social interactions happen online, staying safe and productive now includes understanding the difference between genuine and harmful content.

6. Digital law

The internet may appear abstract, but it has its own laws that everyone must follow. You can break copyright law by uploading someone else’s content or steal someone’s identity by hacking their email. And these crimes are just as severe as their real-life counterparts. We need to know and respect digital law so we can follow it and keep ourselves safe.

7. Digital communication

Everyone with access to the internet has a digital voice that they can use to express themselves. This freedom can tempt people to express anger or spread misinformation. Respectful, productive digital communication requires thinking of these communications professionally, rather than emotionally.

8. Digital health and wellness

Knowing when to unplug from a device or the internet is another element of digital citizenship. Monitoring the amount of time we’re eying screens and also our ergonomic setups all play into our health and wellness.

9. Digital security

Viruses, scams, malware, and other cyber threats exist. Being a digital citizen means understanding best practices for how to avoid them, including how to protect our devices and respond to digital security issues when they do happen. In some cases, relying on professional cybersecurity services can provide an added layer of protection and ensure swift responses to threats.

Downloadable Resources

The nine elements of digital citizenship teach us how to treat each other and how to stay safe online. The internet can be a productive, amazing place where people make new friends, find new jobs, and learn new things.  If we all exercise these nine elements of digital citizenship, that makes for a more positive digital world for everyone.

Here are some PDF downloads provided by Norton, who has created the following digital citizen resources for students.

Choose the resources that suit the age of your students.

• • The 9 D’s of Digital Citizenship
  • Examples of Digital Citizenship
  • Computer Basics Coloring Page
  • Digital Citizenship Jeopardy Game
  • Jeopardy Questions and Answer Key
  • Digital Citizenship Bingo Game
  • Bingo Game Questions

Snapchat is currently one of the most popular apps used among teens but it’s even higher up the list of popularity when it comes to usage by tweens, kids aged 9 to 12.  This is the case even though the signup age restriction is 13 and it questionable if anyone under 16 should even be using the app. Whatever the case, parental interaction is advised.

Snapchat is based on the ability for users to send pictures and videos instantly to friends with the added twist that those pics and vids will only be seen from 1 to 10 seconds, then disappear.  The user decides how long their followers will be able to view the content.  This feature is what first attracted youngsters. It garners instant attention with friends and also has a chat feature for instant communication.   The problem is the short time limits that an image is available on the app for all to see can also give kids a false sense of security.

When Snapchat first came on the scene it mainly went unnoticed by parents because let’s face it, a few years ago we were not as savvy at keeping up on the latest craze in social media networking apps.  Facebook was king and other social media platforms were not in the forefront people’s minds when it came to protecting kids online.  Today, parents and guardians are more in the loop and aware of the due diligence needed to stay on top of evolving technologies.  We also use apps as much as kids do, just not the same ones.

Before we speak to possible solutions to either block a Snapchat app download or restrict it’s use, let’s look at the current status of Snapchat dangers and pitfalls.

The Dangers of Snapchat

One the attractive things to teens about Snapchat in the early days of the app was that kids were always told that “anything they upload online will be there forever, even after you delete”.  This is still true in many cases.  However, one of the social media safety tips kids need to know that sending an image to all your followers even for just a second doesn’t mean some of those connections will take a screen shot of that image before it disappears.  This results in that seemingly instant photo being in the possession of others for as long as they wish to keep it or share it with others.

The bottom line, Snapchat is not any more dangerous any other app where kids are connected to other kids except that is may embolden users to take greater risks with the images or videos they create and send out into cyberspace.  So, while each parent should decide how old their children should be before they go on Snapchat, an open conversation about online behavior has never been more vital.  Online security and privacy protection may be increasing in the technology but it’s often only as good as a users behavior on that technology.

It’s also important to note that while images may not be readily available online there are ways to recover images from the users computer or phone even after they have be removed from the Snapchat app.  We all need to take a lesson and pass it on to kids.  Digital footprints online and even on our own private computers, the cloud, and on phones stress the importance of being responsible with our pictures and private information.  The lesson to be learned by parents and to be taught to our kids is the same for all online activity online. “Be responsible and don’t do anything that may come back to haunt you later in life”.

Monitoring Snapchat Usage

Like any website, app or anything kids do online, the standard rules apply.  Families need to have educational conversations about what they share online and who they share it with.  Beyond that, the only way to truly have control over your child’s web surfing habits and social media usage including Snapchat, is to install parental controls.  With these controls you can monitor and have a say in all online activity.  This includes setting restrictions at various levels according to the ages of family members, while blocking the worst of the worst content at all times.

Safe Search Kids restricts the all harmful content while searching Google from the top of our website, but it doesn’t prevent users from leaving our website to search elsewhere.

Parental control means you can decide to block all app downloads or only those specific apps you may deem too young for your kids.  After a child has permission to download and use an app, parental control software allows parents to manage and monitor the usage.

It’s not just control over Snapchat, it’s any social media app including Tiktok, Instagram, Messenger, Mastodon, Facebook, Reddit, even WhatsApp… and the next big social media fad we don’t even know about yet.  New ways to connect with friends will always be attractive to that kids who want to connect with their friends online without parental supervision.  It happened to Facebook when young people left the world’s #1 social media platform for Instagram.  It’s totally natural.  The older kids get the more they want to forge their own identity.  Parents just want the internet savvy and tools to guide kids in a safe and healthy manner as they explore their world online.

Parental Controls

At the very least parents should learn how Snapchat can be monitored using the existing safety settings available within the Snapchat app.   For complete monitoring of all apps, considering installing a third part parental control app that gives parents complete monitoring within their home and everywhere else a child’s phone may roam.

Most features include:

• App usage and blocker.
• Screen time controls.
• Web content control.
• Parental alerts.
• Family locator.
• Activity reports.
• Custom settings for each individual family member on multiple devices.
• Monitor call history.
• Monitor text messages.

If you want to know more about already existing opportunities in education that you can take advantage now, join us as we look at the latest trends in EdTech.  Topics like eLearning, blockchain for education, gamification and AI are just a few sectors that are changing the education landscape.

The Next Level EdTech Trends for Your Education

Distance learning has already become just not another option but also a major rule for organizing the educational process. Recent challenges have pushed educators to adapt and respond to new opportunities and be proactive to stay ahead of the changes in education.  Many of these have become advantages not otherwise explored.

How Modern Technologies Are Used for Teaching and Learning

The main purpose of any technology recently applied in education should be for the purpose of facilitating the learning process and enhancing performance. This is achieved by applying technical means and Ed Tech tools. The use of new technologies for the most part was previously attributed to various courses and associated educational standards according to individual course activities. Now, it has become obvious that technologies can ensure the greater diversification of teaching methods. That is mainly related to arranging online classes and self-education.

The goal of applying advanced technical tools and arranging education online has been to bring at least the same results. Systems also need to be in place to ensure new types of learning can be measure results effectively. As we can now see that modern technologies can improve collaboration and performance, here are the main approaches to how this has been organized to the present.

EduTrends Enabling a Better Study Experience

Among all varieties of educational innovations, we have prepared for you a short overview of the latest ones and the most interesting, from our point of view. These are also widely-used technologies in modern education:

1. eLearning

Recent challenges that sent kids home from school have certainly opened our minds the idea that electronic learning can be effective.  For some students,  it can be even more effective than traditional classed.  This is only true if the process has been organized well.  When we speak about eLearning we usually mean any kind of education or learning process that is organized electronically.

Such courses enable the delivery of educational materials by using various computers, tablets, laptops, or even smartphones. The major advantage of this learning process is that students no longer need to have a passive role.  You may choose what course or material to take right at the moment. This may be through various podcasts, materials for reading, videos, and other materials. Delivery can be through Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or any other similar tools.

2. Blockchain for Education

The technology of distributed ledger has changed dramatically in many industries and it has also touched education. We can say even more – that is one of the most beneficial tech trends in education students may experience. It is used for arranging the so-called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that enable not only learning, but also the assessment of the gained knowledge and skills. Even more – the approach enables students to have extra benefits during the job-hunting process as they submit results of the completed courses to prospective employees.

3. Video-Assisted Education

Besides the fact that videos are more engaging, you can easily go back and review material or skip certain pieces to arrange your time more freely. Video assisted education is an ed-tech tool already common in school classrooms and not just select online learners. This approach can be very effective for distance learning. Videos, especially animated ones, can enrich any course or lesson dramatically. The resistance for online educators to use this teaching method if often due to a lack of knowledge of how to create or find educational videos for use in their online teaching.

4. Gamification

This current and possibly one of the most exciting trends in education enables learning to interact and be more engaging. This makes real fun of any educational process and can boost engagement and productivity. By striving to get higher scores in any game, the students strive to gain more knowledge and express such on time. And all these things are made in an atmosphere of fun. That can certainly sound amazing to any parent or educator, as long as they see positive results.

5. Artificial Intelligence

This is one of the primary trends in modern innovation in education that can help keep students from being left behind as other progress. It can make basic and other study activities automatic, for instance, in terms of grading. This tool is also effective for arranging the process of delivering study help by tutors. It is also possible to assess and monitor the performance that students have. It is predicted that the role of artificial intelligence in education will increase further, for obvious reasons.

The plagiarism checker is considered to be one of the manifestations of artificial intelligence. The plagiarism calculation algorithm finds non-unique lines in the text. This type of plagiarism check is constantly being improved. Many schools have already introduced plagiarism testing with artificial intelligence.

6. Social Media Networks in Education

Since the birth of social media networks, they have always been a way for students to connect with friends outside of the classroom.  When students are unable to get together in person, which is especially true for eLearners, they can use these same networks to create study groups.  Student to student connection away from school already becoming more widely used by many educational institutions and courses. There are also ways to integrate social media as a teaching tool.  This is more than reasonable as many students spend a lot of time there anyway. Such networks are also used at the moment as communication tools between the representatives of their educational institutions.

This approach enables the sharing of various educational materials, opinions by commenting on posts and arranging discussions. The success of using social media networks in education makes us believe it is possible to build a new culture of collaboration in the area of education and improve it dramatically.

7. Learning Analytics

The existing landscape for this type of tool has been expanded dramatically. Learning analytics has become even more relevant to higher education.  This tool enables the optimizing of the educational process and measuring the result of such by educators.

Learning analytics has been also used by various online tutors and similar services for obtaining relevant feedback on various matters. When teachers or tutors review the feedback for their students, this enables you to enhance the learning process and make it more productive. For instance, educators can see exactly what type of information (infographics, images, videos) work better. This technology can also identify students that are experiencing various challenges and assist them in overcoming learning difficulties.

Will Virtual Learning Remain Continue to Grow?

We presume that the trend will remain even after coping with the challenges the world is facing. There will also be the need for it in some form and this approach has presented many benefits for students and teachers alike. Virtual learning can save time, offer more freedom, and when done properly can produce the same results as a traditionally-organized education process. Only time will tell whether or not virtual learning will continue to grow or subside to previously normal levels.

What Does the Future with EdTech Look Like?

Regardless of the specifics, we believe the application of various online technologies will remain a trend and implement new aspects of developing technologies, including automation. Firstly, Edtech trends seek to bring better accessibility, more safety for online-learning, a focus on emphasizing the correctness of online-learning, enabling less but effective supervision, and ensuring other aspects crucial for effectiveness.

Last Words

Applying various online tools instead of traditional approaches has a good probability of gaining new benefits for managing time and performance. Independence and technical awareness are crucial aspects every student should explore for success in life.  Educators can help by also learning how to offer present new EdTech innovations in their classrooms to ensure no student is left behind.