Discuss These Social Media Dangers with Your Kids Before It's Late

What comes to your mind when you think of social media and kids? Well, the thought itself can be terrifying for most parents. The majority of the parents think there can be nothing more terrifying than watching their kids spend long hours browsing different social media apps.

Well, we cannot blame parents for having such scary thoughts because social media is laden with dangers. From online predators to cyberbullying to sexting to pornography, it seems like the dangers present on social media are endless and are growing day by day.

As kids are using social media apps throughout the day, they can be exposed to these dangers and get into major trouble. This is the only reason parents become anxious when they see their kids spending too much time on their smartphones and social media apps.

To keep kids away from social media dangers, most parents consider installing parental control or monitoring apps on their kids’ smartphones. They install an iPhone or Android spy app on their kid’s smartphones so they can monitor their kid’s social media activity regularly and protect kids from online dangers.

But, before installing monitoring apps on kids’ devices, they must educate them about social media dangers so they can become aware of them and know how to tackle them in the first place. Many tech and social media experts have said that social media itself is not the main problem for kids. These apps don’t keep kids at night. The underlying problem is how kids use these platforms.

If you’re concerned about the risks and dangers of social media for your tech-savvy kids, then you should read out about the most common social media dangers and learn how to tackle them.

Sharing Too Much Information Online

Kids and teens are advised not to post too much information about them on the internet. They should not post details about the places they are visiting, the school they are attending, their personal photos and videos, etc. When kids post too much information about them on social media apps, they cannot even think in what nefarious ways online predators can reach out to them and bring them harm.

On the other hand, identity thieves and hackers can get access to your personal information and then use the data against you by blackmailing you and asking for ransom. People who share information online such as the name of your hometown, your school, your favourite sports team, your favourite movie, the name of your pet, etc., can easily become targets for identity thieves because that’s the kind of information they are looking for.

They can easily guess someone’s password and answers to security questions when they have such data available to them. These identity thieves can steal your data and pretend to be you on the internet.

The best way to protect yourself and your kids from this serious internet danger is to refrain from posting too much information online. Practice the same activity for yourself and also ask your kids to do it. Refrain from posting check-ins, private photos, and videos, adding strangers on your profile, etc.

Private Does Not Mean Safe  

Most parents think that their kids can remain safe on social media if they turn their profiles private. The truth is, when you set your kid’s account to private, it will only offer some level of protection, not complete.

As soon as kids accept friend requests of friends of friends, mutual friends, people they played games with, and people they may know, it becomes a different situation altogether. They need to remember that the privacy settings that they have set only apply to people already added to their accounts. Those settings do not apply to the new people they add to their social media.

That way, when they post private photos, videos, and stories of them on social media, they can lose control of who is watching that content and who is sharing that content with others in what way. It becomes impossible to stop friends and followers from sharing that content with others and to prevent it from turning into an embarrassing meme.

It is important that kids should know about their friends and followers personally. In case they do not know them really well, they should just be mindful of what they are posting on social media. They must remember that when something is posted online, it doesn’t go away even if they delete it later. The same thing can come back haunting them any day. So, they should be wary of what they are posting online.

Interacting with an Online Predator

Parents should not forget that there are some serious creeps and predators on the internet. All social media apps are filled with online predators. As soon as these predators come across kids’ profiles on social media, they start looking for their addresses and personal information. They do not miss the chance to look for innocent kids because they find them easy targets.

Once they befriend them, they try to lure them with sweet talks, and then make kids trust them so much so that they ask them to meet somewhere outside. Every parent should make their kid understand that it is not acceptable to form a relationship with a stranger online. They should also not hide any such online relationship from their parents.

If someone is trying to get close to them, demanding inappropriate photos from them, or sharing unsuitable content with them, then kids should report that immediately to their parents. Another best way to keep a check on your kid’s text messages and instant chats is installing a spy app for Android or iPhone on your kid’s smartphone. That way you can screen your kid’s messages and see if they are not interacting with a pedophile on the internet.

The list of social media dangers is never-ending. Cyberbullying, pornography, and even sexting have become prevalent in the internet world. The best approach for keeping your kids safe from all these social media dangers is educating them about these dangers at the start so they can know how to tackle them.

You should also teach your kids how to use social media safely and responsibly. Besides that, there is no harm in monitoring your kid’s smartphone and social media activity with the help of Mobistealth—the best mobile and computer monitoring software.