To fight cyberbullying, empower children

Parenting has always been a difficult needle to thread for many parents, but the onslaught of Covid-19 and children spending many hours on digital devices has made it much more complicated.

After Covid-19 eclipsed our lives, schools closed, and children spend much of their time cooped up at home. Globally, more than 1.5 billion children and young people have been affected by school closures. To continue learning, some children enrolled back to school using phones and computers.

Besides learning, children now depend more on digital devices for entertainment and to connect with friends and family. That adds up to not only to too much screen time, but it opens doors to dangers that lurk online.

According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, spending more time on virtual platforms can leave children vulnerable to online sexual exploitation.

Violent content

 Children can also be exposed to harmful and violent content, as well as a greater risk of cyberbullying.

But parents are not helpless. There is a lot that they can do to insulate their children from online ills. Parents might consider empowering children by giving them advice on how to use online platforms to self-regulate to the extent possible.

Keeping children informed and engaged and enabling them to use the internet safely is an essential defence line.

As a parent, keep a careful eye on the devices your children use for their online activities. Let your children know you're going to do it and why it is important that you are always in the know. Ask them to share their device and online account passwords with you.

It can help to know what your children are texting, downloading, searching, and watching. Let them know it's not about snooping into their private lives, it's about their safety.

It's going to take a village to protect children from online evils. Schools and religious institutions can play a big part in enlightening the children on how to guard themselves against cyberbullying. Schools should communicate with all learners the expected code of conduct on digital platforms, just as is expected for “in person” behaviour.

Online skills

We must pay special attention to the younger children who may not have developed online skills and could inadvertently hurt themselves and others through how they dress, what they say or text, and the things in their house they show on video. They are also often the most played by the online crooks.

One of the most highly debated topics among parents today is screen time. How much is too much? It is widely recommended that children below six years limit non-educational screen time to about one hour per weekday and three hours on the weekend days. For children six years and older, encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens.

Parents should charm their children to seek out help and support when they face online headwinds.

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