At home and online, children face risks

Al Ameen asks parents to monitor children’s online activity during vacation time

Parents have been urged to keep an eye on their children and keep track of their social media activities, especially during the children’s summer vacation.

Dubai Police’s Al Ameen Service, launched in 2003 to facilitate confidential communication between the public and authorities, said that parents must be vigilant so that their children do not fall victim to online predators.

“Many children spend most of their summer vacation using smart apps, playing online games, and on social media sites,” said Al Ameen’s Khalil Al Ali, a media consultant. “Without supervision, children may interact with strangers, who want to take advantage of them or get personal information from them.”

He said parents must warn their children against watching films sent by strangers, adding that such material may encourage extremist thinking and is a method to recruit them for extremist causes. He said parents should also keep an eye on children and check the kind of religious material they are reading online.

Al Ali said that those who have suffered social interaction problems may easily be affected by online predators.

“They may take advantage of the children’s personalities, making them take a stand against society,” he said. “This is why it is imperative that parents talk to their children about this issue.”

Al Ameen Service have continuously warned people against various types of cybercrime, including cyber blackmail and fraud. It urged residents not to disclose any personal information online, especially to strangers or to unsecured websites including chat rooms. The service also warned people about strangers on social media asking for charity, as many of them are frauds.