When it comes to deal with the civility online and to stop harassment is quite the same as to tackle the crime on the streets. Telling people to get off from the streets is not an appropriate solution, but to take a multi-prong approach to tackle the issue in terms of making sure the streets safer and to educate people to be smart while on the streets. Likewise, our streets on the web or “digital streets” are based on multiple factors that are increasing or decreasing the level of safety and vibrancy. The issues like bullying online, stalking, pedophile personalities, and plenty of other evils are making digital streets vulnerable especially for teens and children. Therefore, today’s young generation should know that when civility online a duty and when is it a trap? Its parent’s responsibility that they should teach their kids and teens about 3 “E’S of digital citizenship such as educate, empower and engage them then we will be able to increase civility online to the fullest.
When Civility Online A Trap For Young Kids and Teen?
The explosion of technology in terms of cell phones, gadgets, and computing devices connected to the cyberspace is undoubtedly benefited mankind to the utmost. But with the rise of social media platforms and mobile phones in teen’s hands have put teens at stake. Today, predators in real –life have migrated to the web and they try to establish contact with the teens and kids through chat rooms, conversations, instant messaging, and email or via discussion boards.
Most of the teens these days own smart phones alongside internet access and they always remain online on multiple social networking apps. So, cyber predators usually visit the digital streets in terms of WhatsApp, Facebook, Yahoo, Line, Vine, Snapchat, Instagram and others alike and look for a vulnerable victim. Moreover, all the predators online have very common things in their approach that every teen should know about it. If teens don’t know that their parents should teach their kids and teens before they get digital citizenship.
Cyber Predators and The Civility Online
All the predators online in terms of cyberbullies, stalkers, sexual predators, pedophiles, and others believe in digital civility especially when they are interested to contact young kids and teens on the digital streets. Civility Online is their best weapon to seduce teens and tweens by devoting considerable time, even money and energy to this effort. Moreover, they are fully aware of the fact that what their targeted kids and teens like and dislikes and as well as about their hobbies. In –short predators online target teens by doing their complete homework. They approach young children and teens to listen to and sympathize with their problems regarding their real –lives. So, they actually try to relax young people’s inhibition by slowly sharing them sexual content while having conversations alongside exposing towards sexually explicit content. However, very few of the cyber predators approach in a direct or fast way and harass or stalk their targets and other side of the screen if teens are rebellion or lonely get trapped. Therefore, parents should guide their teens about digital predator’s civility online tactics. There are following ways digital civility of predators online would be a trap for teens.
- Attention
Getting the attention of the teens, cyber predators would easily trap teens online especially on social media platforms. Bunny Hunting is one of the best ways for stalkers and sexual predators to trap teens and tweens for sexual motives. They got attention by sharing multimedia in terms of photos, videos, and try to make conversations in a very gentle way. So, teens need to know that when is civility online duty and when is it a trap. Obviously, when a stranger becomes extra careful that means there is something wrong and he/she is not doing it without any motive. Seeking attention gradually does not fall in all the predators online. There are some in terms of bullies online that behave rashly and there only motive is to humiliate teens and kids online that really effects on teens mental health.
- Affection
This is the second most dangerous trap of cyber predators and on the other hand, teens face nightmares and don’t discuss with their parents. Well! Teens should realize that why someone is so much caring with them online. Obviously, there are some motives behind it and it may about related to sexual activities such as uncommitted sex or for a blind date. However, teens also willingly using kind of dating apps for fun to have interaction with the strangers that may cost them heavily at the end of the day. All the predators actually evaluate teens they meet online for future real-life face to face contact.
- Kindness
Kindness is one of the best traps that every cyber predator is using these days. They approach a teen that have shared so much in terms of multimedia and does not place privacy on social media platforms. So, they send teens and tweens text messages and show their kindness and interest in terms of their beauty and sexuality and it is very appealing for most of the teens these days. Teens love appreciation, especially on social media. So, the texting initially turned into sexting after a couple of interactions. Therefore, civility online could be a trap for teens while having conversations with strangers who already got their attention with affection and kindness. On the other hand, if teens don’t come into trap slut shaming and abusive language is a common thing among the predators.
Stats of stopBullying.org
- Almost 15% of school-going teens have experienced bullying online and the number gone up to 55% that use social media all the time on cell phones having access of cyberspace.
- 68% of the victims of cyberbullying because of their presence on social messaging apps and websites
According to A Study
- Study says Young kids and teens that are new on the web and not aware of the “Netiquette get trapped in predator’s civility online
- Young kids and teens that want seek attention and affection of someone, cyber predators use digital civility tactic to victimize them
- Young teens that are rebellious in nature are more likely to get impressed with the predators civility online
- Teens that are lonely, isolated and ignored by the parents are more likely to trap by the cyber predators
Teens Should Know: When is Civility Online A Duty?
It is not necessary that teens are bullied online, get trapped, and sexually exposed by the adults only. Today, even young teens and children are could be stalkers, bullies online, and others. It means your teens could be the victim! Or Witness! Or bully or predators themselves! So, its parent’s responsibility that their teens not only victimize by cyber predators and also don’t get involved in activities that ultimately grow them like a stalker, cyberbully, or sexual predator. So, teens should know that when they are interacting with someone online it is their duty to apply civility online rather than sharing someone sexually explicit material or use abusive language with other young kids and teens. So, teens should be well –aware of both things when digital civility is a duty, and when it would be a trap for teens.
How Parents Teach Teens: When is civility A Duty and When is it A Trap?
There is no need to say your teens stay off from “digital streets”. Parents should use the technology against technology and get to know what kids and teens are doing on the web in order to increase or decrease their civility online. They should know about the parental control software and brands that educate parents about how to build a better web.
The cellphone parental control app is one of them. It offers plenty of safety tools for digital parenting in terms of browsing activities, secret call recording, and IM’s social media monitoring. Moreover, it empowers parents to deal with the teen’s current online environment with the use of a screen recording tool. It allows parents to make short videos of the teen’s cellphone screen in real-time and let parents know what parents should teach their teens about the civility online.
It empowers parents to know if teens have experienced or get involved in abusive behavior. It keeps updated parents about the state of online civility of teens and plays an active role to prevent sexual harassment and bullying online and activities of teens on the web to the fullest. Furthermore, you can say cell phone monitoring software is kind of a watchdog on teen’s activities online. It allows parents to remotely control the actions of teens if they are not doing online civility as a duty or they get trap due to it. The end-user can remotely block text messages, incoming phone calls, and even the access of the internet on teen’s cellphones and gadgets.
Conclusion:
Mobile phone parental control app has a mission “to foster a kind of online culture where all the teens and kids can freely take part in democratic, rational, open, and truth-based information and ideas. However, safe digital streets where everyone can walk without having fear of being humiliated abuse and lies.
