Modern online interactions can severely jeopardize everyone’s mental health. Even adults aren’t immune to the constant pressures of social media. Those pressures mainly include the desire to keep up with the newest trends and having to interact with creepy individuals, often with malicious intent.
Kids are even more susceptible to the dangers of the internet. In fact, according to a recent study, six out of ten children talk to strangers online on a daily basis.
But how you, as a parent, can make it stop? Let’s discuss some of the most effective solutions in this blog post.
Is Your Child Chatting With Someone You Don’t Know About Online? 6 Ways to Discover
Monitor Their Social Media and Messaging Apps
While this may seem like a violation of privacy, it’s better when a parent violates it instead of a stranger who has harmful intentions. Go through your child’s social media pages if they have them and check for any suspicious comments under their posts. If you can’t find anything, it would be a good idea to take their phone and read the messages they receive on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and other social media sites.
Message apps shouldn’t be ignored, too. Find who your child is talking to on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, or any other app, and check who hides behind the phone number in question.
Use Parental Control Software
There are now plenty of tools that help parents monitor their children’s online activity. Some apps let you see your child’s messages, contacts, and who they’re chatting with on social media. You can even get alerts if there’s a conversation that seems risky, like interactions with strangers or inappropriate content.
This software also can block access to websites or apps unsuitable for your kid’s age. For this, you need to set restrictions on certain categories. These mainly include gambling, adult content, violence, etc.
Check Device Usage History
When you have access to your kid’s computer, laptop, tablet, or phone, it’s effective to check the usage history to see where your child spends most of the time. This way, you can spot a social media site or app where they’re possibly chatting with online predators.
Apart from causing psychological and emotional harm, these individuals can also scam unsuspecting children out of money under the pretext of buying them their favorite computer game, toy, or something else. They can also do it more elaborately—by making your child click on a malicious link that will download malware on their device.
Look for Sudden Changes in Behavior
When children get exposed to something they aren’t meant to see, they can become more closeted and anxious. Many reasons can cause this, actually. It can even be due to the fact that a predator asks them to do something they aren’t willing to do or, on the contrary, they do what they’re told and then feel embarrassed about it.
If your kid used to be active and outgoing and now they spend most of the time alone, it’s a sign to step in and check their online interactions. It can be the other way around, too, when shy and introverted kids become more sociable when they think someone they trust online gets them.
Behavioral changes in children are easy to notice most of the time as long as parents spend enough time with their kids.
Pay Attention to Red Flags
Some red flags can give away what your child is hiding. For instance, if they hide their phone whenever you walk into the room or have recently set up a passcode, someone may be messaging them.
Kids tend to be very secretive at times, especially if someone they trust tells them to.
Inconsistent information is another giveaway of dubious online communications. If your child tells different versions of who they’re talking to or what they’ve been discussing, it could be a sign that they’re hiding something.
Have an Open Conversation With Your Child
Talk to them about their online activities and see how they react. Ask more specific questions, such as “Do you have any friends on Instagram?” or “Who’s that person in your friends list on Facebook?” and see if they reply without hesitation. If they don’t know what to say for a while, this may mean that they’re processing what to say, which is a sign that they’re hiding something from you.
During conversations, it’s important to create a safe space where they feel comfortable sharing information without feeling judged. At the same time, being soft isn’t an option, as the safety of your child is at stake. When they don’t want to reply, you can threaten to take away their PlayStation or something they value.
Let’s Conclude
No one is safe from those with malicious intentions, especially children. Most predators go out of their way to get what they want. They constantly learn new tricks to lure unsuspecting kids into their traps, and the only people who can help the kids are their parents.
If you suspect someone you don’t know about is texting your child, you must implement certain actions to make it stop.