Thanks to advances in technology and the rise of smartphones, an endless world of information lies right in our pockets or purses. Unfortunately, for parents concerned about their children’s online safety, this poses new challenges every day.
To tackle this issue of online safety, Facebook has introduced a Parents Portal, a new section of the Facebook Safety Center.
Parents can have a lot of questions about Facebook. Whether you have a personal account, or your teen has one, Facebook has come up with some handy links, tips and tricks to help you and your child navigate through the social media channel through it’s new Parents Panel.
A survey conducted by Microsoft found that worldwide, 37 per cent of children aged 8-17 years had been subjected to a range of online activities such as mean or unfriendly treatment, being made fun of or teased. Of that number, 55 per cent were girls. Apart from the risk of predators, there is plenty on the internet that isn’t appropriate for a child. In a 2012 survey, 44 per cent of teens surveyed admitted they have looked at something online of which their parents would not approve and, according to a 2011 survey, 42 per cent of teens admitted they had cleared their browsing history after using the Internet.
Facebook also lets parents connect with online safety experts from 22 organizations around the world, who offer resources for parents.
Gulf News asked some parents what they thought about Facebook’s new feature.
Juliette Charles said: “I think it is great that Facebook has come up with this feature. These days children don’t wait to be 13 to have social media profiles. As parents who were not raised in such a tech-savy world, we may not have enough information to help our children when it comes to online safety and abuse. I’m glad Facebook is putting parents in touch with experts from around the world.”
Nimmy Jose Antony said: “This is definitely good for parents like me who don’t use Facebook much. I started my own profile, only very recently. I have to go to my colleagues or friends who have Facebook to ask for help. If there are times when we as parents have questions or need to contact Facebook directly, this feature looks like it will be helpful. I know there are a lot of fake profiles on Facebook, these people create accounts just to abuse. The new feature will help people tackle this abuse.”
Facebook is also trying to put a stop to bullying. The Bullying Prevention Hub, developed in partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, is a resource for teens, parents and educators seeking help for issues related to bullying and other conflicts.
What do you think of this initiative by Facebook? Tell us on readers@gulfnews.com.
