Modern parents need tech savvy

Zakiya Mckenzie

zakiyam@caxton.co.za

Cyber-bullying is in the spotlight again, after an outcry sparked by the discovery of an online chat platform used by local school pupils.

Insults, derogatory sexual references and name-and-shame games seem to be the order of the day.

“Dd u knw [name withheld] in gr 11 is 1 horny *ss bastard,” the latest post in the Roosevelt High section of the platform read, “he needs sum gals 2 f*ck.”

There are many social and educational advantages to giving your child a smartphone, but parents should be aware of the potentially negative implications involved in providing unrestricted access to the internet.

While personal gadget technology is constantly changing, the application of safety measures to protect young people from cyber-abuse and risky online behaviour has not yet caught up. Teenagers have easy access to adult material through their smart phones and are sometimes themselves the producers of such material.

Even if you only allow your child one hour of cell phone usage per day, he or she can simultaneously watch videos and visit websites, participate in private chats with applications such as BBM and Whatsapp, and make updates for public consumption on networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

According to a 2012 study done among 4346 pupils from schools across Gauteng by the Bureau of Market Research at UNISA, cell phones with SMS and social media applications offer access to the main platform for cyber bullying. Some 37% of teenagers said they were victims of online abuse and the researchers found that online bullying could cause physical illness and suicidal tendencies in the young victims.

In line with these findings, Dr Catherine Angus, clinical psychologist at NHC Health Centre in Northcliff, warns parents that cyber bullying can lead to your child becoming withdrawn, unhappy and isolated.

“The solution rests in making sure the lines of communication between you and your child always remain open,” she said, “so that is comfortable in reporting the matter should they or someone else become a victim of online abuse.”

“Parents should encourage their children to discuss what’s happening in their lives. Teenagers will sometimes participate in inappropriate dealings just to be a part of the ‘in crowd’ and so adults should monitor what they are doing online. The fact that they can get online won’t change but parents should limit their child’s use of a smartphone. Limiting is also good because it forces people to interact with each other face to face.”

“Maybe parents should even be entitled to checking their child’s phone at random times to see what they are up to,” Angus challenged.