It’s worth noting that while it is crucial for parents to be educated on the real dangers and impact of abuse online, it is also helpful to remember that there are means to prevent them and protect our children. But it takes time, energy and some resources. Parenting is tough but worthwhile…even in the digital age.
The internet is a part of our daily lives, and a growing part of the lives of even our young children and tweens. It is a great resource for learning and exploring. But the misuse of it can also have serious and lasting impact.
Be educated, but not panicky.
In addition to screen time limits, 75% of parents of children under 12 years old also look at the websites their children visit and 49% look at the call records on their children’s devices. 1 Parents are rightfully worried about their children’s safety online as seen in the infographic above.
Dangerous or unhealthy behaviors online may lead to:
Long-term emotional trauma
Sexting and sextortion are real threats to older children and have long lasting emotional impact even after the immediate problem is solved. Sex trafficking survivors decades later are still haunted at the thought that sexual images of them as children continue to circulate on the internet. They are re-victimized every time their images are viewed.
67% of survivors of child sexual abuse materials (child pornography) said that pornographic abuse impacts them differently than the physical abuse.2 The circulation of those abusive images and videos is perpetual. Those images are permanently on the web.
Early exposure to pornography has lasting negative impact on the children’s view of sexuality and relationships, including being sexually active earlier, higher likelihood to engage in risky sexual activities and being a victim or perpetrator of sexual violence.3
Low self-esteem
Social media has made it easier to project a “perfect” life that one does not have. Children (and adults for that matter) are more prone to compare. They feel left out when they see photos of their friends at an event that they are not invited to.
In addition to bullying at school, children are faced with cyberbullying as well.
Drop in school performance.
Children are staying up late to be online during school nights, whether their parents know it or not. This leads to fatigue and lack of ability to focus at school and truancy.
Unless screen time is enforced, children are playing video games or on social media instead of doing their school work.
Relational difficulties
Emotional trauma and low self-esteem make it more difficult to form healthy friendships.
Early exposure to pornography is a factor in sex addition and other intimacy disorders.4
Physical health issues including
Insomnia
Anxiety
Eating disorder
Addictions, e.g. porn addiction, video gaming addiction, gambling (Yes, teens are visiting gambling sites.)
Where are the dangers come from?
Strangers – Most parents are aware of stranger danger. These can be people with ill intent or advertisers.
Pedophiles and traffickers are not just adults. They are other teens as well. For example, it’s been well documented that sex traffickers use high school students to recruit for them.
Advertisers target school-aged children for their products including gambling sites.
Friends and family – Unlike common belief, most sexual predators are not strangers to the child.
In a 2000 study, 93% of sexual abuse cases children and teens knew their perpetrators.5 59% were acquaintances. 34% were family members. Only 7% of cases were strangers to the victim.
Acquaintances and family have easier and more frequent access to the children. It’s important to be vigilant.
Themselves – Kids themselves are engaged in unhealthy behaviors online.
12% of middle and high schools sent sexually explicit images of themselves and 19% received them.6
They are connecting to strangers online and visiting adult sites.
Social media magnifies the feeling of being “left out” and comparison.