Troy Shantz Sarnia Police are warning parents to monitor their children’s online devices to ensure they don’t become victims of child predators. Musical.
Troy Shantz
Sarnia Police are warning parents to monitor their children’s online devices to ensure they don’t become victims of child predators.
Musical.ly, for example, is a popular app with elementary school-aged kids that allows them to share and edit their own lip-sync music videos, said Const. John Sottosanti.
But it was only a matter of time before predators discovered it as a new luring tool, he said.
“We can’t keep up with all the apps that come out all the time, so do some research before you allow your child onto an app,” he said.
Mark Russell, a computer studies professor at Lambton College, said tablets and smartphones can provide children with many positive experiences, provided parents use common sense and open communication.
“Talk to your kid about it,” he said. “Make sure they understand what they’re doing … and what the possible risks are. Teach them how to be safe and empowered.”
Russell likens devices loaded with the right apps to an activity book. And it’s relatively easy to protect younger users by adding only family-friendly apps and controlling what the device can access.
In 2014, two-thirds of Canadians owned a smartphone and half had a tablet, according to the CRTC.
Children can be eased safely into social media by having a family account that everyone has access to, Russell said.
“So that any conversations – even that the parent have – are public within the family,” he said. “There’s no reason for a small kid to have any real social media presence but using it with their parent isn’t a problem.”
Popular educational and family-friendly apps can be found at parenting.com, he added.
Parents should look at their children’s online devices and ensure they are secure and locked down, Const. Sottosanti said.
Only allow them to share friend status with kids they already know and ensure others can’t access or contact them on their on-line profiles, he said.
If parents become aware of a suspicious interaction they shouldn’t hesitate to call police, he added
“Don’t touch anything else on that device or anything else on that site. Contact local enforcement and from there we will investigate it.”
For more on cyber safety, visit www.cybertip.ca/app/en/internet_safety
