TikTok can lead to child abuse, so learn how to monitor kids’ online activity
TikTok may seem a form of innocuous entertainment. Sometimes, even parents make short video clips featuring their kids. We asked experts to tell us how to exercise online safety, particularly when it comes to kids using the platform.
TikTok’s popularity is growing by the day, and so are the risks it poses to the privacy of users. The Chinese video app has reportedly attracted more than 30 million users in India so far. On the face of it, the video content on the app, also used by celebrities, may only seem to be a form of trivial entertainment. And so, one commonly sees children using it. Sometimes, even parents make short clips featuring not just older children but infants too. But is it safe for children to be on TikTok? Perhaps not.
Reports have shown that TikTok can compromise your child’s safety, which is why the Madras High Court asked the Centre recently to ban the download of the app since it entails the risk of child abuse, child pornography and suicides.
Children are not only spending more and more time on apps like TikTok but are doing so without any understanding of online etiquette or rules. The craze begins with users competing over getting the maximum followers on their profile. “In the past few years, I have never come across any other app like TikTok which is this addictive. On apps like TikTok, users tend to compete over securing the maximum number of likes and followers and indulge in posting certain videos and other activities. And so, children using the app are likely to spend long hours on it rather than utilising the time to study or play,” cyber crime consultant and information security professional Mukesh Chaudhary told Express Parenting.
Threat to privacy
With inadequate knowledge about cyber security, kids and parents end up sharing real information regarding their location and identity on the internet. “This is very risky. Once the information is out, someone can approach them easily. When a video or picture is circulated over the internet, it is tough to delete it permanently, even if you personally remove the content. And the video or picture can then be edited, morphed or shared on porn websites as well. There are millions of websites which are being created on a daily basis. So, you cannot possibly check every site to see if the content still exists,” Chaudhary explained. He added, “Some people also search for ways to get maximum likes and followers on the internet. But if you follow those ways, your mobile phone can be compromised. And that is the biggest threat because one can then access your mic, front and back camera, gallery and other information on the phone.”
Cyberbullying
Lack of regulation on internet activity has only increased online bullying over the years, with children being at a greater risk of abuse. And so, Cyber Peace Foundation, a cyber security think tank, has partnered with the video app to raise awareness about online safety. Vineet Kumar, President, Cyber Peace Foundation, said, “Apart from the obvious risk to children in the form of cyber crimes, there are pressing challenges like exposure to sensitive content, predatory behaviour, and harmful impact on a child’s mental health due to not being able to be as popular as their peers. It may be the case with any such application where there is a huge pool of content and no regulatory check. What the Madras HC also pointed out is the threat to children’s data and their privacy in the absence of a privacy law to protect them.”
So, to ensure safety, TikTok has outlined some rules that parents need to keep in mind in case they or their child open an account on the app, as part of their #SafeHumSafeInternet initiative.
How to monitor child’s online activity
Even then, it is extremely essential on the part of the parents to regularly monitor their child’s online activity. And how do you do that? Chaudhary suggested the following steps:
For computer:
1. Log in to your Google account from any web browser in your computer.
2. Once you have logged in, click on the account picture at the top right corner of the web page.
3. Click on Google Account option.
4. Click on Data & personalisation tab at the left side of the web page.
5. Scroll the page and click on My Activity option.
or
1. Log in to your Google account from any web browser in your computer.
2. Open a new web browser tab and type http://www.myactivity.google.com and press enter.
For Android mobile:
1. Open your mobile Menu and search for Google app and click on it.
2. Click on More option and the bottom of the page.
3. Click on Search activity.
Tips to ensure online safety
Here are some things parents need to follow to ensure their child’s safety is not abused online, as per Chaudhary.
1. Firstly, one should not share the location on these apps since there are people who target kids and convince them to do certain activities or create certain inappropriate content. They can call the kid to a certain location with mala fide intentions. The personal information shared online should be minimum.
2. Users majorly focus on the facilities that an app provides rather than the security issues. Parents should ensure they customise security settings on their mobile phone. Those applications which are not available on Play Store should not be downloaded as they may be risky.
3. Parents need to have an open conversation with their child regarding online safety. In many cases, there have been children who have complained about their privacy being compromised. But they do not want to inform their parents even when looking for a solution. There is a big communication gap between parents and kids because they are afraid of being reprimanded. Besides, when a child is using a mobile phone or a computer, parents cannot assume they are using it responsibly. They have to keep checking from time to time.
4. Parents also need to educate themselves about cyber law and impart the same to their child, especially when it is not part of our current education system. Just sharing a pornographic video can lead to imprisonment, for instance but very few people know about it. It’s up to parents to teach internet etiquette to kids.
But what happens when parents themselves go ahead and post videos with their child? “It is good to be creative but there are other means of exploring that rather than making a video on these apps. You can create a documentary if you want but do not share it on the apps. That’s how kids also begin to get addicted to these apps,” Chaudhary added.
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