Unfortunately, at present cyberstalking seems to be an issue that is becoming more and more worrying. All one needs to do is switch on the news, turn on the radio or open up a magazine to see or read terrible accounts of young girls who have experienced such a horrible ordeal.
It is, therefore, understandable that parents are worried about letting their children utilise the internet. There are of course lots of factors about the internet that people can control. For instance, if a parent wants to ensure that their child does not view content which is unsuitable for their age, then they can install one of the many firewalls available which can be found in various security packages.
However, one thing that cannot be controlled is cyberstalking. Nevertheless, there are some precautions which can be utilised and tips which can be adhered to in order to make the chance of cyberstalking extremely minimal. This blog post will reveal exactly what these tips and precautions are…
Be cautious with social networking
It is important that a parent ensures that their child is careful with what they post on social network websites, such as Twitter and Facebook. There is a big argument that school children need social media education. It is crucial to make sure that no information that is too personal is given out. Not only this, but children have a tendency to post comments regarding where they are and what they are doing. It is important to try and stop this as much as possible. This is especially the case as Facebook actually has an app which locates where an individual is and tags them on a map. This may sound exciting, but it is potentially dangerous. Therefore, parents should advise their children not to utilise it.
Don’t have contact with anybody that is an unknown
It is vital for parents to instil into their kids the importance of not contacting anybody they do not know – no matter how tempting it may seem. It doesn’t matter whether somebody has sent a friend request on a mobile game, whether they have sent an email saying that they are entitled to $1,000, or whether they have simply sent them a message on Twitter asking how they are…. Don’t respond!
Full names are big no!
It is also important that parents make sure that their child does never enter their full name when online. This is crucial because if their full name is not available on the internet then they will simply become unsearchable and, therefore, a potential cyberstalker will not be able to find them. A great way to encourage a child to not enter their correct name is to tell them to use a nickname.
Utilise privacy settings
Most websites have privacy settings whereby people can hide certain information. Furthermore, if you are using the best vpn mac or chrome can offer, your information can be protected through this! Nevertheless, it is surprising how many individuals simply do not take advantage of these settings. At the end of the day, privacy settings are there for a reason and that reason is to help people protect themselves. So make sure all information is set to private!
