Kids take net risks
Almost 40 per cent of Kiwi kids have contacted a stranger online but as this becomes increasingly common it creates an opportunity for the wrong sort of people, Netsafe says.
The survey by the cyber-safety organisation also found one in 10 children met in person a stranger they contacted online — and a quarter reported they felt upset or didn’t know how they felt afterwards.
Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker said although, for most kids, connecting with people online was a positive experience it could create a false sense of security.
More than 2000 children between the ages of 9 and 17 were surveyed. Of those who’d had a face-to-face encounter with someone they met online, 63 per cent said it was a happy experience.
“Kids . . . need to learn early on what they do online can have significant consequences,” Cocker said.
Reports of grooming or exploitative relationships were on the rise within New Zealand and overseas. Cocker said they’d had reports of connections through many platforms, including social media and gaming communications.
“Pretty much anywhere you’ll find young people, you’ll unfortunately find adults looking to exploit it.”
Often these adults “catfished” victims by pretending to be their age but Netsafe had seen cases in which adults were honest about who they were to create a bond and be able to take advantage of it. Almost always, the offender’s goal was to get sexual content sent to them, but sometimes it was to meet in person.
Cocker said parents must talk to their children about what they got up to online, and the possible consequences.
Parents or young people concerned about a connection online should contact Netsafe, which could help. But if there was immediate danger, they should call 111.
Detective Senior Sergeant John Michael, of the Covert Online Investigation Unit, said police school community officers heard about young people and the distribution of explicit images about once a week. New technologies had provided platforms for offenders and could cause a lot of harm.
“Often, one offender can be communicating with a number of people, so when police arrest offenders this can prevent further Importantly, parents and caregivers could help prevent children becoming victims of online child exploitation by talking to them and making them aware of the risks that existed on the internet.
“Ensure your young people are aware that anything they post or send online is out in the world permanently, and can be widely distributed,” he said.
“Similarly, encourage them to never give away personal information online to people they don’t know, or do or say anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.”