By Thabo Peyi
June 1st, 2024
4 min read
Bark is fighting to make the internet a safe place for the youth!
We live in a time where, irrespective of your age, you are reliant on the internet in one way or another. Whether it’s communicating with family and friends, doing schoolwork, or keeping up to date with the latest news, the list is endless. However, despite all the good things the internet offers, it can always be a dangerous place if you are not cautious, especially for young people, which makes Internet safety more important than ever.
Being a parent in an era where children heavily rely on the internet comes with new challenges to navigate, and awareness of online dangers is becoming ever more important. Here are just some of the dangers your children can fall victim to:
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Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the act of using digital devices to harm another person. This can be done through harassment, leaking personal information, or sharing pictures or videos to threaten or embarrass an individual.
Despite cyberbullying being done digitally, it does lead to real-life ramifications. People who are victims of cyberbullying often practice self-harm, experience anxiety, start acting out, and see a decline in their school grades.
Detecting whether your child is a victim of cyberbullying can be harder than you might think. There may be a digital divide where parents might not understand the latest lingo or the various online platforms that kids use nowadays. Another reason could be that kids might feel scared to inform their parents, fearing they might get their digital devices taken away. Platforms such as Bark have made detecting cyberbullying easier by sending parents notifications if they detect any suspicious activity that might lead to their child being harmed online, , thus improving Internet safety.
Online predators
One of the benefits of the internet is its ability to connect people across the globe with shared interests, allowing them to bond over these passions. However, this can be dangerous as people often don’t know who they are interacting with. It could be an innocent person who genuinely shares the same interests, or it could be an online predator. An online predator is someone who roams the internet looking for young children and teens with the intention of exploiting them for sexual or violent reasons, highlighting the importance of Internet safety.
Online predators resort to grooming, exploitation, abuse, and extortion, just to name a few. In many cases, the victims might not realise they are being taken advantage of until it’s too late and the predator has enough information to use against them. Children who are victims of online predators often become depressed, anxious and emotionally unstable.
There are different ways to identify if your child is a victim of online predators. They may become very defensive and dismissive when asked about their online activities, receive calls from unknown people, or you can use parental control apps such as Bark that allow you to monitor texts, emails, and their social media usage from over 30 different apps, giving you the peace of mind that your child isn’t interacting with an online predator.
Privacy concerns
Privacy is a major concern for young people on the internet. What they say online can have serious consequences, both online and in real life, which underscores the importance of Internet safety.
- Oversharing: Teens often overshare sensitive information, such as their location, school and phone number. This can be driven by a desire for inclusion, a lack of awareness about online privacy, or a mistaken belief of anonymity. Oversharing can lead to cyberbullying and make young people vulnerable to online predators as previously discussed.
- Digital Footprint: The phrase “the internet never forgets” is a real concern. Posts made as a teenager can resurface years later, potentially damaging their reputation and hindering future opportunities.
- Location Sharing: Sharing their live location can put not only themselves but also thier family and friends at risk.
Parents can play a crucial role in keeping their children safe online. Open communication about social media use is essential, as well as discussing what is appropriate to post and the potential consequences. Monitoring apps like Bark can provide additional support by alerting parents to potentially harmful content their children posts.
Scams
Kids today are growing up in a very internet-oriented world and have become tech-savvy. However, despite this, online scams are something that even tech-savvy kids can fall for. An online scam is when someone defrauds or takes advantage of someone else via the internet or software, very often for financial gain, making Internet safety crucial.
Online scams can take many forms, making them especially difficult to spot for young people. These scams can occur via emails, social media giveaways, fake online clothing stores, and more. Falling prey to these scams can lead to losing control of social media accounts, identity theft, and scammers gaining access to information that could put you and your family at risk. This is why Internet safety education is essential.
There are ways to prevent your child from becoming a victim of these scams. Remind them about the dangers of clicking on unknown links or visiting random websites. You can also use parental control apps like Bark to block access to certain websites, keeping them safe from online scams.
The internet is a fantastic resource, but it can also be filled with dangers. Internet safety is crucial to help kids avoid falling victim to the different types of scams lurking online. By teaching them safe browsing habits, you can allow them to explore the internet in a safe manner. That’s why all new RSAWEB Fibre to the Home customers will save up to R1200 and get Bark Junior for free, for a year.
Anyone can also purchase Bark Junior or Bark Premium through the RSAWEB shop, allowing you to make sure your child is protected online with amazing features such as:
- Manage screen time and create screen time schedules
- Block and filter which websites your kids can visit
- Get location alerts and check in with your kids
- Monitor texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and platforms
- Get alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more, all contributing to better Internet safety.
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Bark is fighting to make the internet a safe place for the youth!
Thabo Peyi
June 1st 2024
4 min read
We live in a time where, irrespective of your age, you are reliant on the internet in one way or another. Whether it’s communicating with family and friends, doing schoolwork, or keeping up to date with the latest news, the list is endless. However, despite all the good things the internet offers, it can always be a dangerous place if you are not cautious, especially for young people, which makes Internet safety more important than ever.
Being a parent in an era where children heavily rely on the internet comes with new challenges to navigate, and awareness of online dangers is becoming ever more important. Here are just some of the dangers your children can fall victim to:
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the act of using digital devices to harm another person. This can be done through harassment, leaking personal information, or sharing pictures or videos to threaten or embarrass an individual.
Despite cyberbullying being done digitally, it does lead to real-life ramifications. People who are victims of cyberbullying often practice self-harm, experience anxiety, start acting out, and see a decline in their school grades.
Detecting whether your child is a victim of cyberbullying can be harder than you might think. There may be a digital divide where parents might not understand the latest lingo or the various online platforms that kids use nowadays. Another reason could be that kids might feel scared to inform their parents, fearing they might get their digital devices taken away. Platforms such as Bark have made detecting cyberbullying easier by sending parents notifications if they detect any suspicious activity that might lead to their child being harmed online, , thus improving Internet safety.
Online predators
One of the benefits of the internet is its ability to connect people across the globe with shared interests, allowing them to bond over these passions. However, this can be dangerous as people often don’t know who they are interacting with. It could be an innocent person who genuinely shares the same interests, or it could be an online predator. An online predator is someone who roams the internet looking for young children and teens with the intention of exploiting them for sexual or violent reasons, highlighting the importance of Internet safety.
Online predators resort to grooming, exploitation, abuse, and extortion, just to name a few. In many cases, the victims might not realise they are being taken advantage of until it’s too late and the predator has enough information to use against them. Children who are victims of online predators often become depressed, anxious and emotionally unstable.
There are different ways to identify if your child is a victim of online predators. They may become very defensive and dismissive when asked about their online activities, receive calls from unknown people, or you can use parental control apps such as Bark that allow you to monitor texts, emails, and their social media usage from over 30 different apps, giving you the peace of mind that your child isn’t interacting with an online predator.
Privacy concerns
Privacy is a major concern for young people on the internet. What they say online can have serious consequences, both online and in real life, which underscores the importance of Internet safety.
- Oversharing: Teens often overshare sensitive information, such as their location, school and phone number. This can be driven by a desire for inclusion, a lack of awareness about online privacy, or a mistaken belief of anonymity. Oversharing can lead to cyberbullying and make young people vulnerable to online predators as previously discussed.
- Digital Footprint: The phrase “the internet never forgets” is a real concern. Posts made as a teenager can resurface years later, potentially damaging their reputation and hindering future opportunities.
- Location Sharing: Sharing their live location can put not only themselves but also their family and friends at risk.
Parents can play a crucial role in keeping their children safe online. Open communication about social media use is essential, as well as discussing what is appropriate to post and the potential consequences. Monitoring apps like Bark can provide additional support by alerting parents to potentially harmful content their children posts.
Scams
Kids today are growing up in a very internet-oriented world and have become tech-savvy. However, despite this, online scams are something that even tech-savvy kids can fall for. An online scam is when someone defrauds or takes advantage of someone else via the internet or software, very often for financial gain, making Internet safety crucial.
Online scams can take many forms, making them especially difficult to spot for young people. These scams can occur via emails, social media giveaways, fake online clothing stores, and more. Falling prey to these scams can lead to losing control of social media accounts, identity theft, and scammers gaining access to information that could put you and your family at risk. This is why Internet safety education is essential.
There are ways to prevent your child from becoming a victim of these scams. Remind them about the dangers of clicking on unknown links or visiting random websites. You can also use parental control apps like Bark to block access to certain websites, keeping them safe from online scams.
The internet is a fantastic resource, but it can also be filled with dangers. Internet safety is crucial to help kids avoid falling victim to the different types of scams lurking online. By teaching them safe browsing habits, you can allow them to explore the internet in a safe manner. That’s why all new RSAWEB Fibre to the Home customers will save up to R1200 and get Bark Junior for free, for a year.
Anyone can also purchase Bark Junior or Bark Premium through the RSAWEB shop, allowing you to make sure your child is protected online with amazing features such as:
- Manage screen time and create screen time schedules
- Block and filter which websites your kids can visit
- Get location alerts and check in with your kids
- Monitor texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and platforms
- Get alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more, all contributing to better Internet safety.
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Self Help
Tech News
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In the digital era, having internet connectivity has become a necessity. Many South Africans work remotely or study online and need a stable, reliable connection. On the entertainment side, you...
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We won this awesome award because of our loyal customers ─ people who took time out of their day to vote for us. Thank you for recognising RSAWEB as the best ISP, you guys rock!” ─ Rudy van Staden, CEO of RSAWEB...
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