Today is children's day, and one topic that parents in India can no longer ignore is online safety. In September 2019, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) had put out a report highlighting that nearly 66 million internet users in the country are in the age group of 5 to 11, many of whom are coming online via shared family devices. But in India, parents are still far more lax when it comes to monitoring their children's online activities. In fact, an OLX survey in 2019 showed that 60 per cent of parents do not monitor the content their kids view online. So how can parents starts the discussion on child safety? For parents who need tips, Google has a dedicated resource page regarding children's safety. The tips are available in its safety centre. According to these, it is important to help teach children about digital footprint. The tip notes that parents must participate with their children in online search and talk about what the results show. It is also important to tell children how these results can be used to learn more about them and how they build a digital footprint online. Families must also create clear rules about what content should not be share online. Personal photos or private information and the risks associated with posting these online should be highlighted. Home address, passwords, or the school children attend should be kept private, and this information should not be shared with strangers. Children also need to be told about keeping their passwords secure along with private data. The risks of phishing scams should be explained so that they understand someone could try and trick them into giving up personal information, which could be very risky online. "Teach them to come to you if they get a message, link, or email that’s from a stranger, asks for account info, or has a strange-looking attachment," notes the Google page. It is also important to show children what a secure website look like. A padlock next to the URL, https, url checking should also be explained. Parents should help children create hard-to-crack passwords, which are crucial for online safety. The risks of simple passwords like 123456 or a first name should be clearly explained. Parents should create a dialogue around online bullying, and not ignore it. "Talk about online harassment or times when people use online tools to be intentionally hurtful to others. Plan who your children could come to if they see or experience it," says the resource page. With both Android and iOS introducing digital wellness tools, it is now possible to set time limits for children's phone, apps usage. Content filters should also be used to ensure children do not access content that is not safe. But, Google does recommend that settings should evolve over time. According to Sunil Sharma, Managing director sales at Sophos India & SAARC, parents also need to keep some questions when it comes to children's online safety. For one, they should ask if their children's social media profiles are locked down from public view. He adds that parents must also discuss to children about appropriate behavior online and what kind of sharing is okay and what kind is not, and why? Further, parents should be aware of what kinds of questions can be considered red flags, according to him. Questions around school they attend, landmarks near their home and even problems they’re having are red flags, because predators can use this kind of information to establish trust and try to meet in person.
