Despite the minimum age imposed for using services such as Gmail and Facebook, of 13, I have increasingly seen parents opening accounts for their children without really knowing how to keep an eye on them. Just because the Internet is a virtual environment, not a physical one, doesn’t mean it can’t put your children in direct contact with danger. On the contrary, danger is imminent 24/7 even if you don’t know it.
What Kind Of Threats Are Present On The Web?
What harm can something that is not physical cause? If you ever thought that, stop! The threats are numerous and serious. One of the most serious, if not the worst, is child grooming (not to mention pedophilia!). Not at all pleasant to think that your child could become the victim of a predator, is it?! Imagine experiencing this reality.
The danger is so real that the Federal Police has a special website for reporting cyber crimes. Do not believe? Click here and see: http://denuncia.pf.gov.br/
It is not the only one. Interpol in partnership with other organizations also has. Here in Brazil we also have Safernet.org.br that works with the police to unmask these threats.
Without pressure or stress, I’ll leave you some tips for Gmail and Facebook. Not intended to be used scoldingly, children also need some space to gossip, flirt and swear at teachers amongst themselves, and sometimes swear at parents as well. It’s normal. You’ve done that too. Let it be and don’t poke your finger unjustifiably. Your goal is to keep him safe, not to comb.
Personally, and for any number of reasons, I am against opening accounts for very young children on Facebook. I started participating in IRC when I was 13 (I’ve been on the web since I was 8-9) and maybe that’s why I’m against exposure at this age and, above all, below it. Although this contact later brought me great benefits, in terms of knowledge, I am also aware of the oddities witnessed. It was another time, the number of people with access was significantly less than today, and yet the danger was already there.
Gmail Security Alternatives
Gmail is the most complete free email management system ever developed. In addition to being necessary to use several Google services and being super safe. So secure that getting your account back in case you lose your password is hell.
Which brings us to the first point: Children lose passwords!
Gmail offers several options for you to protect yourself against losing your own account, perhaps because they know that getting it back is next to impossible. Try clicking “forgot password” and see the nightmare for yourself. Do you know how to answer the day, month and year of your last access? Day, month and year you registered? And list all Google services linked to your account?
Whoever uses it every day should be able to answer at least 1. The 3 probably few people can and I doubt that anyone who remembers all this would forget the password.
In order not to pass that nervousness, you can configure devices and security accounts in Gmail . You can enter a mobile number and Google will send you a verification code via SMS in case you ever get into trouble. Useful for the forgetful kids, but don’t put their cell phone, put yours. Children forget passwords and lose cell phones.
Facebook Security Alternatives
If the web is evil, Facebook is the devil’s home for kids. If you allow your child to have an account, either the father or the mother must have one too!!! Someone has to be watching. I’m an aunt and I’m the eye on the web, as my brother and sister-in-law don’t get along very well with these means. Valid too, but it must be someone really committed.
Staying silent about Gmail is important, but staying in the Facebook bush is imperative. It is very easy for Facebook users to make posts with restricted visibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re a parent, you won’t know if you’ve been blocked.
Keeping An Eye On Facebook – Attention
You should certainly look at the other options like monitoring apps and make sure that only people you know are viewing the child’s profile. Nothing should be visible to anyone who is not really known. Anything! Click through the entire menu, read through all the options and block visibility of everything you can to non-friends.
Do not add or let high resolution photos be added to your account, they can be used in montages (at best). Photos are not safe on Facebook, in fact, no information is. Think twice about adding details to the profile.
Keep an eye on the pages your child “follows”. Facebook monitors potentially dangerous pages, but until they are found, they will be available. Go to the same pages as him and see if they look suspicious. If you think they are, REPORT!
