Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The 6 online ‘challenge’ crazes that could harm or even kill your child
PARENTS are being warned of six deadly online challenges that could tempt bored children this summer.
The “games” involve self-harm, cyber bullying and the sharing of explicit images, and have even been blamed for suicides around the world.
And while many parents may believe their kids are too sensible to get drawn in, child psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos has warned them not to underestimate the pressure youngsters are under to keep up with online trends.
Dr Papadopoulos, an ambassador for web safety organisation Internet Matters, said: “It’s important parents don’t bury their heads in the sand and assume their children would never take part in one of these challenges.
“These are just some of the most severe games that have been cropping up, but there might be a number of manifestations, so at the very least they will form the trigger to begin a conversation with your child.”
She said many of the challenges were a “modern day version of a chain letter, where the recipient feels under social pressure to take part and pass on”.
Dr Papadopoulos added: “We know that children will be desperately wanting to engage online with their school social group during the holidays as they are not seeing them every day, which will be coupled with a desire to take part and the fear of missing out.
“This is natural, but parents can take responsibility to make sure they are doing this safely. We would urge parents to have a simple one-to-one conversation with their child about these types of challenges and give them practical advice on what to do if they encounter anything like this, the risks involved and the consequences.”
An Internet Matters study found more than half of parents were concerned about the influence of their children’s friends online and had concerns about them viewing content or sites that might encourage them to self harm.
For advice go to internetmatters.org
CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST