Social media is a platform wherein people interact with each other virtually, that is, on the internet and share different ideas, information, and content like pictures, videos, and posts. People of all age groups are present on the various social media platforms like –
- Youtube
- Snapchat
- Tumblr, etc.
Social media has now become a storehouse of information where the data of the users of such platforms around the globe is available at a single click. The users of social media platforms readily provide all their basic details which the websites ask. Once that is done, they log in to the social media website and start updating their profile like sharing posts, pictures, videos, as well as their daily routine activities. Sometimes, the users also share the location of where they stay and also the location of wherever they go out with their family or friends.
Sharing all such personal data over the internet is very risky since there are people like hackers who might access your social media data and misuse them for unfair purposes.
Nowadays, we see that more than adults, children have become very much addicted to social media. Children now use social media even more than before. They have their profiles on almost all the social media platforms, where they tend to have many friends and followers. These so-called “friends” and “followers” may be of two types –
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Known people – These are real-life friends and relatives whom the children know.
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Unknown people – They are the ones whom the kids have never met and who are not related to the children. They are also known as virtual friends.
Children often become the victims of the various social media vulnerabilities. They tend to get easily exposed to some of the various threats posed by social media. Children get attracted to the schemes of such people and they eventually end up sharing all their basic as well as other details which are asked by them.
The various social media threats which the children get exposed to nowadays include,
#1. Unsuitable Content – There are various kinds of content available on the internet which is inappropriate for kids. Social media has become a new mode of getting access to such kind of content. On the social media websites, some people post pictures and videos or even provide links to websites which might be having content unsuitable for kids. When children see such things, their mind gets attracted or even badly affected, which eventually results in their getting distracted from studies or becoming non-social.
#2. Online (Virtual) friends – Nowadays there are many people who open social media accounts with fake identities in order to make fun of or fool people. Such troublemakers most of the time, lure children into their trap by sending “friend requests” or “following them” on the social media websites.
Children more often than not, accept such “friend requests” or “followers”, since it is has become a trend to have a maximum number of friends and followers on social media websites nowadays, in order to become more popular. The real identity of such virtual friends is never known and they might misuse the personal information provided by the children on their social media account or they might even convince the kids to give some other important information which they would like to exploit.
#3. Cyberbullying – We must have heard children getting bullied at school. But today, there is a new form of bullying which is very popular and happens with children on social media platforms called “cyberbullying.” Cyberbullying happens on social media when kids play games or participate in some discussion in groups.
For example, if the child tends to lose in a group game, other members make fun of the child for losing the game or if the kid participates in a group discussion and says something against the point of view of other members, then the others might start criticizing the child. All this affects the mental health of the child making him/her depressed and/or aggressive.
#4. Scams – Social media has now become the new ground for the various scams planned by criminals who mainly target children as a source for getting confidential information like bank account details and passwords. Such criminals attract the kids by sending fraudulent messages claiming that the child has won a huge amount of money and they ask for the bank account details of the child or his parents. Children get fooled by such vicious schemes most of the time and they give out all the information which is asked by such criminals.
#5. Location tracking by criminals – When children share the location of where they stay and where they go, along with the photos, posts or videos which they share on social media websites, some criminals like to keep track of such kids details in order to do some crime, which the kids may not be aware of. Besides, it is very risky even for adults to share their location details on any social media platform.
Parents should inform their kids of the various social media vulnerabilities and risks. Some of the ways in which parents can do this are as follows-
1. Parents should always keep track of their kids’ activities by keeping an eye on the social media websites where they have kept their profiles. They should advise their children not to share too much personal information and warn them of the dangers of sharing a lot of information on such platforms.
2. Children should also be advised to just not blindly accept friend requests from unknown people, since being in contact with such unknown people might be dangerous.
3. Parents can also monitor the browsing history details of their children so that they know what kind of content is being searched by their children and warn them of the dangers of clicking on any inappropriate content.
4. Parents should warn their children not to get involved in cyberbullying. They should also tell children not to share their location or bank account details or any sensitive information to any stranger who might ask for it on the social media websites.
Nowadays, a very effective way of monitoring kids ‘social media activities is being provided by various school ERP software. School ERP software provides the facility of linking the students’ social media profiles along with the database of students maintained by schools. This is very helpful for the parents as well as teachers to observe what kind of content the children post on social media websites and also helps in finding out if any child is being bullied by others. The parents, as well as the teachers, can come together in providing the right guidance and counseling to the children who might have got badly affected because of the various social media content, virtual friends, cyberbullying, and scams.
This is why parents should encourage schools to have school ERP software which is very beneficial in protecting the mental and emotional health of children. It is, therefore, the duty of the parents as well as teachers in keeping an eye on the kids’ social media activities by using any of the above techniques, so that the children don’t fall into the trap of the various social media threats as stated before.
