KEEPING INTERNET SAFE FOR UAE TEENS

YouTube is set to give parents another tool to supervise youth’s screen time

With teenagers spending more than 90 per cent of their time using digital devices, there is a growing concern about the content they may be exposed to, especially on video sharing platforms.

Tech gaint YouTube recently addressed the issue by announcing the rollout of new “supervised” Google accounts for teens or tweens (kids in the age group nine to 12) — letting them explore the streaming service within boundaries set by their parents. The video-sharing platform will let parents control their kids’ access to content using Google accounts. “The move responds to concerns about violence and other inappropriate content which may be viewed by minors on the massive video-sharing platform,” it said in a statement.

The news sparked a debate about online safety and parental involvement in digital safekeeping of their children.

Dr Brian Gray, principal at Springdales School in Dubai, said the YouTube parentalcontrol policy will help tweens keep away from groups that are targeting youngsters by providing inappropriate content. “The Internet is not safe for kids with its distorted reality in relation to social norms, social isolation, fake news, extremist ideas and general misinformation. Since parents are the primary gatekeepers of their teens’ Internet experience, the only option is monitoring and educating kids to safely navigate. Parent awareness is key and they must know how to balance between support and allow autonomy.”

Asha Alexander, principal of The Kindergarten Starters — a school that has successfully incorporated digital and technological innovation in their curriculum for students from KG1 to Grade 5 — opined that children should be taught about internet safety from a young age.

“The forbidden fruit is always attractive, especially to teenagers. It is necessary to allow children to navigate cyberspace early on so they understand the consequence of straying to sites that might be potentially harmful. If Internet safety is taught in the primary years, students will know how to handle a device and also behave ethically online,” she said.

Trusting your child and holding him or her accountable for their actions, is vital she said. “Every device is a potential hazard if it is not used in a safe manner. Adolescence is not the time to introduce a device as students are naturally curious and have the urge to explore. Besides, we give ourselves too much credit as parents and educators that we can ‘control’ how children use devices. Communicating expectations clearly and helping students navigate cyberspace will enable them explore while being conscious of the dangers. We won’t hand a car to a teenager with no previous experience of driving, then why would we do that with a device?” Internet safety is a collective responsibility of regulators, social media companies, schools and parents, according to Dr Asad Sadiq, consultant psychiatrist at The Psychiatry and Therapy Centre – Dubai. “They all need to work together to ensure the Internet is safe for children. However, this is not happening, largely because of a lack of coordination. Yes, parent-approved content is the future of Internet safety for teens. Parents can keep their children safe through using applications and filters to ensure that their children have to access only to content that is safe (such as Net Nanny). Prior to this they should sit, discuss and agree with their children about accessing content which is safe.”

It is imperative for parents to educate themselves about the Internet, social media and other online applications, added the doctor. “Parents should have accounts themselves on applications their children use. Teens need to be taught how and what to post. Parents need to check the minimum age requirements for using social media applications. There must be some ground rules to ensure a safe virtual world,” said Dr Asad.

saman@khaleejtimes.com

Communicating expectations clearly and helping students navigate cyberspace will enable them explore while being conscious of the dangers.”

Asha Alexander, principal,

The Kindergarten Starters

Since parents are the primary gatekeepers of their teens’ Internet experience, the only option is monitoring and educating kids to safely navigate.”

Dr Brian Gray, principal, Springdales School – Dubai