Ensure learners are safe online

Following and checking the most visited websites in your child’s browser history will help you know what kind of content they are watching. Net Photo

A child could be exposed to a number of unfortunate occurances including cyber bullying, predators, and so much more through a simple handing over of a phone or laptop to them, online or offline. How then do we know how to guide learners on using these gadgets especially now that learning has gone digital?
*Stella was 16 years when she experienced her first serious attack on social media. It came from a school Whatsapp group. She was attacked for being too black. Considering that she had been exposed to the internet much earlier than many of her age-mates, Stella had thought the attacks would have come even earlier.
“My father is a technical engineer so he introduced me to computer use quite early. I used to learn how to read, write and pronounce different words through interesting animations,” Stella says.
She says even if the attack was demeaning, she was old enough and therefore needed just a little help to get over it. However for most young learners, such attacks can have dire consequences.
How it gets to the children
Cyber bullying is not a one time attack. It is a series of attacks that happen over and over again. It could be by friends, schoolmates, age-mates, or even strangers. For this to happen to a child then, they have to be using these gadgets frequently.
Unfortunately, learners need these gadgets, especially during this pandemic where online learning has taken precedence.
It is easy to forge profiles on social media and this gives people with ill intentions leeway to take advantage. Under those fake accounts, someone is capable of hurting, attacking or stealing without being figured out.
Cyber bullying
This can happen under a false, or even real social media account. It could be on Facebook or Twitter which are relatively common and easy to use and a person keeps attacking your child by sending messeges with threatening or demeaning language, videos, audios and photos especially when they get to know something about them.
Sexual predators
This group of people can even be adults masquerading as teenagers or children on different platforms.
Theft
This can happen when a child unknowingly gives out their own or their parent’s information to strange sites or people through sharing links. This can happen in online games, where a child may want to buy tokens to either buy more lives or be a part of a competition and they end up sharing their credit card information and by the time you know it, your balance has been cleared out.
Kidnap
Though these are not common cases in Uganda, they happen. A child may share his or her location with kidnappers online.
Safety measures
John Ssenkeezi, a social media specialist says encouraging children to be on social media is not a good idea.
Unfortunately, you may actually not even know that your child is on social media if you are not very keen. If they know that you don’t want them to be on the platforms, they will hide the fact that they are.
“When I was a child, my parents would sit me down and talk to me about things I should not do using computers and why I should not do them. They taught me about sex education and the way I should conduct myself online.” Kinyera says.
This in a way explains why she doesn’t remember any online related scuffles until the age of 16.
Protect sensitive apps.
“You could add a password to an app or don’t install it altogether if you feel it is not safe for your child to use.” Ssenkeezi says.
This is especially if you share your phone with your child so they may not be able to open it. This can help you to freely give your child your phone to use without much supervision.
YouTube kids
Ssenkeezi says that having a YouTube kids app instead of the main YouTube app will help filter out adult content and leave information that is age appropriate for children. He says that even if a child tries to search for adult material, it will not be available. This may not be the same case if the child is using the main YouTube app.
Lock web access
A child may be browsing for learning material or other and rated R content pops up. Curious as they are, children will want to know what it is. As a parent, you did not install it but it just pops up out of the blue in your absence.

This is where locking certain websites would be very commendable that even if such websites pop up, a child will not be able to see its contents.

This, Ssenkeezi says, can either be done on phone or through Wifi network security policy when one is using a router. These, he says, can be able to block restricted Urls and can be accessed in settings.
Be proactive
Following and checking the most visited websites in your child’s browser history will help you know what kind of content your child is watching.

Rose, a mother of three says her children have not experienced any kind of online brutality because she controls the way the children use their gadgets.

“We download the materials or games we want them to use. Otherwise they don’t access data on them. If they do, they must seek permission and we approve the sites they are on.” she says.

Safety tips

Don’t give anyone your password, name, address, the name of your school or any information about your family
Don’t talk to strangers on the Internet
Don’t agree to meet anyone in person that you’ve met online
Don’t fill in a profile that asks for your name and address
Don’t visit a chat room without an adult’s / parent’s permission
Don’t stay online if you see something you think your parents

Won’t like
Don’t post pictures of yourself without your parents’ permission
Do not download or install anything on your computer without your parents’ permission
If you have any questions about something you read, ask your parent or guardian
If you are talking to someone online and they make you uncomfortable, remember you don’t have to talk back to them.
Source : www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com

NOTE: Names have been changed to protect the person's identity.