Teaching your kids to stay safe from online predators

The increasing use of smartphones, social networks, webcams, and personal computers among young kids and teens has given an opportunity to potential offenders to engage with them. Your kids are on Instagram, Facebook, and many other online platforms, as are those who wish to hurt them. In such a scenario, it has become essential that you learn about the potential dangers of the online world and take proactive steps to gain a better control on your child’s online activities. Fortunately for concerned parents, a simple GPS tracker app such as Easy Logger can be programmed to give you every detail about your child’s online activities. It gives you detailed information about the apps that your kid has on his phone, how much time he spends on each app, websites visited, text messages, their current location, and more so you know every minute detail about your child’s activities. Easy Logger is simple to operate, easy to install, and an unobtrusive GPS tracker app that helps you gain access to your kid’s smartphone activities. The dangers of online predators Recent studies suggest that online predators contact young kids and teens thought almost any online medium, including social networks, blogs, chat rooms, or instant messaging. Once they contact your child, they use the following tactics to gain confidence and manipulate their innocent minds:

• Bond with them with friendly language, attention, and unexpected kindness
• Listen attentively to them and provide sympathy
• Use hobbies and music that your kids love to interact with them
• Gradually introduce sexually explicit content, including photos and videos into daily interactions, and lure them to share the same with them.

Proactively helping your child In addition to installing Easy Logger on your child’s phone, you can enforce the below safety rules to protect them from online predators.

• Keep home computers in the common areas of your home and be vigilant about supervising all internet-enabled devices including cell phones and gaming consoles.
• Learn their screen names, passwords, and account info – this might be difficult with pre-teens, but once you gain their trust and reveal your true intentions,  they will learn to trust you.
• Regularly check the online communities that your kid visits and see what they are posting. If you are on your child’s friend list, it becomes relatively simple to keep a tab on their updates.
• Make sure that your kid keeps their profile private. This way, strangers would not be able to see their updates.
• Keep a regular update on the photos and video that your child posts online. These images make them easy targets for online predators, and even cyber bullies, with an added risk of damaged reputation. Make your child understand that once their picture or video is online – there is no going back. Nothing is truly private on the internet, so it’s wise to think twice before sharing personal information online.
• Your children should feel comfortable coming to you with any questions or concerns if any of their ‘online friends’ make them feel uncomfortable, scared, asks for inappropriate personal information, or suggests meeting them. Keep the communication open and honest.
• Make your child understand that they need not accept any threat, tease, or get intimidated by any form of online activity. Be aware of your child’s changing mood and behavior, and if you find any startling change, try to talk with them to get to the root of the problem. If you find any offensive material or threatening communication, contact local law enforcement immediately.

Online predators are a threat that should not be ignored. With proper precautions, and with the help of Easy Logger – a nifty Kids tracker app, you can remain worry-free about your child’s security.