Internet compounds Parenthood Challenges
The most worrying factor is that it has put the childhood of young ones at stake. Unarguably, the extensive use of the Internet by children is having dangerous implications on their personality development more than having a positive impact on their lives.
Sajjad Bazaz
Believe it or not! The Internet in the increasingly connected digital landscape has lured children around the world to be among the most active online users. A Niti Aayog report has captured an estimate revealing that one in three children globally uses the Internet, meaning that one in three Internet users is under 18 years of age. Since the Internet at the back of advanced technology has been driving lives in contemporary times, its use has made the online digital landscape full of risks. These risks strike the online users without signalling any warning.
In the given scenario, the ever-increasing online presence of children has thrown a stiff challenge as far as their safety is concerned. Even as a variety of online services including accessing educational resources, entertainment, developing digital skills, and maintaining social connections are available on the web, the widespread availability of online content also exposes children to adult material and various online risks.
Many children’s lives in the last couple of years have become ‘digital by default’ and the process continues. In other words, they are now in a world where they are ‘growing up digital’ and the vast expanding digital landscape has thrown a big challenge for the policy makers and more particularly to the parents when it comes to the welfare of children in any geography of the world. Nevertheless, Covid-induced lockdowns complicated the challenges as millions of children across the globe found themselves enveloped in the whirlpool of the World Wide Web.
Almost overnight, following the pandemic-induced lockdowns, children’s lives suddenly fell to the digital wave by default and became (and continue to become) reliant on digital infrastructures. On the face of it, the exposure of children to the world of the Internet is construed as a positive development on the premise that the digital exposure would make them understand things quickly and ultimately they would become knowledgeable. But when we look at findings of some global research, the sudden reliance of children on the internet triggered during the years of the pandemic has more negative impact on their learning and development than the positives.
Generally speaking, the evolution of the Internet has been very useful and convenient for our way of living and today most of the world’s population relies on the web. But at the same time it has peddled to a stage where it’s behaving more as a menace than a convenience. And the reason is its growing misuse. Even as the Internet has proved the ultimate medium of entertainment, education and information, it has exposed the browsers irrespective of their age, profession and location to hordes of risks while being online. When we talk of risks associated with the Internet, the most worrying factor is that it has put the childhood of children at stake. Unarguably, the extensive use of the Internet by children is having dangerous implications more on their personality development than having a positive impact on their lives.
Precisely, the Internet has become so invasive in the daily lives of our children that they are no less than a skilled manager of their free time, juggling technology, playing computer games and surfing the net. Children on the Internet without any surveillance and checks and balances are just like in any other potentially dangerous situation. It is to be remembered that parental neurosis is far more detrimental to childhood development than the ease at which the Internet will corrupt the personality development of our children.
I have come across several parents of young children with some kind of disgusting Internet stories. Children stumbling onto pornographic photos/videos or any other adult content has become common incidents and a huge cause of concern for parents. Speaking in the local (J&K) context, the seamless exposure of children to the world of Internet has compounded the challenge of parenting. Otherwise also, owing to the three decades of turmoil, it has been a routine for most of the Kashmiri parents to encounter regressive behavior, anxiety, depression, aggression and conduct problems in their children.
Today, millions of children are busy surfing the World Wide Web as the Internet is a medium which lures them to explore destinations carrying unsolicited content leaving a negative impact on their minds. Notably, not all children have the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to keep themselves safe online.
A UNICEF note in this regard is worth quoting. It says: “Spending more time on virtual platforms has left the children vulnerable to online sexual exploitation and grooming. A lack of face-to-face contact with friends has been leading to heightened risk-taking such as sending sexualized images, while increased and unstructured time online may expose children to potentially harmful and violent content as well as greater risk of cyberbullying.”
UNICEF and other world organizations have released a technical note aimed at urging governments, ICT industries, educators and parents to be alert, take urgent measures to mitigate potential risks, and ensure children’s online experiences are safe and positive.
There are innumerable stories where many children while exploring the fantasy of the Internet and being unaware of cyber criminals were harmed. They realized that they had been victimized by a cybercriminal only when the damage was done. Many non-governmental organizations while taking note of the online risks for children in India have found that over 50% of them in the age group of 8-17 have become victims of cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying is an act of harassing or harming a child’s psychology, confidence or morale. A cyber-criminal could be a stranger who gets connected to the child on the social network site. The stranger could persecute or harass a child by making unwarranted comments or posting objectionable content. A person known to the child can bully by resorting to mischievous behavior using the online channels.
In this scenario, we find the parents having inadequate knowledge about the need and safety measures to safeguard their children on the Internet. Even they have little time or resources to ensure the safety of their children while being online.
In view of the dangers confronting our children while using online channels of communication, more particularly the social media networking sites, there is an urgent need to run exclusive awareness programmes about the risks associated with Internet surfing for children. Here the government needs to establish special helplines across the region where parents and children can seek help to fight cyber bullying. The authorities can take up the issues with the social networking platforms and ask them to enhance safety and safeguarding measures, and develop standard moderation policies that are aligned with children’s rights.
Educational institutions too have a responsibility. They have to put in place safeguarding measures while making the students board the online classes. They have a responsibility to run awareness programmes about being safe on the Internet and also promote as well as monitor good online behaviours.
As far as parents’ role in safeguarding their children is concerned, they have to ensure the Internet gadgets are regularly updated for them. They should ask their children on how and with whom they are communicating online. As a responsible parent, guide your children how to make productive use of the Internet. And they should never shut their eyelids if they notice inappropriate behavior of their children while surfing on the World Wide Web.
There are several technology tools designed to protect children online. Many social media platforms offer privacy settings that allow parents to monitor and control their child’s activity. Besides, antivirus software and firewalls can help protect against cyber-attacks and malicious content. There are technology solutions that provide a proactive means to safeguard children from potential harm.
Besides, parents need to encourage open lines of communication in building trust with children. They should encourage children to talk about their online experiences and any incident that made them feel uncomfortable. This open communication with children can help parents identify and address potential dangers before things turn ugly.
To conclude, safeguarding children online remains and will continue to remain one of the most challenging tasks for parents. We have to foster a culture of digital responsibility as we move forward into an ever-more interconnected future. There is a need for a concerted effort from parents, educators, policymakers, and technology providers to create a digital environment where children can thrive without fear of harm while exploring their online experience. Precisely, the Internet has complicated the parenthood challenges.
(Sajjad Bazaz is Editor-In-Chief at Straight Talk Communications. He is former Head of Corporate Communications & CSR Department and Internal Communication and Knowledge Management Department)
