23% UAE parents say their kids were threatened on social media

Watch over your school-going child as he goes social Keep tabs on his tabs

Over 23 per cent of parents in the UAE reported that their children's online safety had been compromised as a result of using social media, a recent survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International has revealed.
The report - that included 8-13 year-olds, also suggests that 10 per cent of kids have used the Internet to meet dangerous people offline, eight per cent have been cyberbullied, seven per cent have shared too much personal information about themselves, and seven per cent have been exposed to deliberately hurtful and malicious messages from strangers through social media.
Children are becoming more and more vulnerable to online threats. And hence, it is crucial that they are counselled about how to behave wisely and cautiously when they are on social networks.
Faisal Mohammed AlShimmari, Emirati child protection activist said: "Online safety for children and raising awareness on identifying and responding to online threats is a key focus area of the UAE leadership. Through initiatives such as the newly-launched Emirates Child Protection Association, the UAE is taking a global leadership role in identifying and addressing new threats facing children, and working in partnership with global experts to mitigate these risks."
Keeping threats related to social networks at bay is not a child's play. But children can be taught to make it easy. They should be told to be "friends" online with only those who they know personally. Besides, kids must be made aware that going overboard on giving out personal information online could be damaging as this can be misused by abusers. Teaching them the risks involved in opening links from unknown recipients is crucial too, say cyber experts.
Maria Namestnikova, children's online safety expert at Kaspersky Lab, said: "Considering the fact that the internet is not going anywhere, there has never been a more important time to truly educate children about online safety and the dangers the online world can present to them, to ensure that they can equip themselves to enjoy online experiences safely."
Education about online threats holds the key to fight them off. Many modules and programmes are being chalked out to combat the internet demons. 
When the child is taught about using the internet with wisdom, half of the menace would be tackled. Parents too need to ensure that kids are not using their devices long enough to become susceptible, and keep their child's online spends under watch. 
Adult content is too rampant on internet. Children should be told not to get alarmed by such stuff, and deal with the situation more practically. If there are any hints of cyberbullying, kids must be groomed in such a way that they report it to the elders in the family, say experts.  
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

80% of UAE kids hooked to social media

According to Kaspersky Lab data, 80 per cent of children in the Middle East are mostly interested in Internet communication media - in the majority of cases this is referred to as social media. Almost the same percentage goes for the children in the UAE, showing very strong social media presence of young residents of the Gulf. The second most popular online content among kids (about 7 per cent) falls under the category of 'software, audio and video' and mostly refers to video sharing websites; therefore, children are prone to all the threats associated with these online platforms.

Telltale signs

Experts have identified several warning signs that will help parents identify if their child is experiencing troubles on social media:
- Sudden changes in mood for no apparent reason;
- Changing the style of use of their digital device and social networks (for example, the child begins to wake up at night to go online);
- A sharp increase or decrease in the number of "friends" in their social network;
- The appearance of "friends" with a big age difference;
- Abusive images and messages on the child's social media page;
- The child deletes their page on social networks.