Kids and Social Networking Sites

According to a survey conducted in 2015 by the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham), most underage kids on Facebook first got help from their parents to create their accounts. 75 percent of the parents of 8-13 year-olds on Facebook are aware of their child signing up for the site.  Many initially knowingly allow their children to lie about their age on social networking site. Nearly 82 percent helped create the child's account.

Although a majority of the 4200 parents surveyed believed that there should be a minimum age for Facebook, 78 percent said situations like school-related activities, communicating with friends make it ‘ok’ for their child to sign up for an online service, even if he or she does not meet the site's minimum age requirement.

While Facebook's official joining rule mandates a minimum age of 13 (as per the US' Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), nearly 73 percent of children in tier-I & tier-II Indian cities between the age group of 8 to 13 use Facebook and other social networking sites. Nearly 25 percent of 13-year-olds, 22 percent of 11-year-olds and 15 percent of 10-year-olds are on Facebook, while 5-10 percent of 8 & 9 year-olds are also active on the site.

News reports cite a survey by the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) in the USA showing that more than one-third of babies in that country tap on smartphones and tablets even before they learn to walk or talk, and by one year of age, one in seven toddlers uses devices for at least an hour a day.

Chitra Varma, principal of DAV Matriculation Higher Secondary school, Chennai, agrees. "There's no question of keeping children away from the net. Nowadays, they need to use it even for school projects. But it is essential that they know of its dangers as well as its usefulness."

The Cyber Crime Division of the Karnataka police have launched an initiative to educate children in schools across urban and rural Bangalore on tips to use the internet. "We believe in prevention. We have undertaken seminars in schools, distributed pamphlets for parents. This kind of awareness is crucial," says Dr D C Rajappa, Superintendent of the Police Cyber Crime Division, who led the initiative.

Google, too, tied up with The Department of Electronics and Information and Technology and Computer Emergency Response Team-India (Cert-In) for an Internet Safety Campaign in India.  Head-Public Policy India at Google, Chetan Krishnaswamy explains, "It's important for the Internet to be a safe space for families to explore, learn and enjoy together. To enable this, we’re working to get the word out about good Internet practices and how to keep users safe online."

Ultimately, the issue boils down to a child's safety. Adult influencers - parents, relatives, and teachers should endeavour to thwart the dangers before they happen rather than rely on laws to punish the perverted.

Ref: India Together.