Experts warn against excessive use of the Internet during the holidays

Exposure to "inappropriate" images is the most prominent fear of parents about children surfing the Internet

• Children from 15 to 18 years old are most vulnerable to the dangers of the Internet and cybercrimes.

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• Experts advise parents to enhance children's critical thinking to deal with various situations and adjust privacy settings on their phones.

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Experts in the field of cybersecurity and children's rights have warned of the absence of parental control over children's excessive use of the Internet during the winter vacation, pointing to the possibility of exposure to inappropriate content, such as blackmail and bullying, while a recent Emirati study showed that there are specific fears that control the minds of parents when their children navigate On websites, most notably “inappropriate pictures” and “interacting with strangers.”

Experts stressed the need to monitor children's activity on social media and the Internet in general, so that they are not exposed to inappropriate content.

In detail, cybersecurity expert Abdelnour Sami said, "The effects of excessive use of the Internet are concentrated in isolation, lack of attention, and lack of focus, which negatively affects the formation and correction of personality, and is reflected in self-confidence and social and emotional intelligence."

He added, "Entertainment contents are an entrance to joy and pleasure, but excessive follow-up is accompanied by excessive (dopamine) secretion, which loses its elements that were arousing interest, and pushes children involuntarily to try to discover clips that are out of the ordinary."

Abdel Nour stressed the importance of parental control by defining and diversifying usage hours between applications and means. “For example, one hour per day can be set for Instagram, an hour for YouTube, four hours for WhatsApp to communicate with family and friends, and so on.

And there is something that most families overlook, which is a good example. If you asked parents, they would have complained about excessive use of means of communication, while you find them always holding their phones. Children imitate more than they learn, so if they practice a hobby, the child will in turn practice something similar.

And he urged parents to provide an alternative, “Preventing children from technology creates a big gap, but every family must prepare a program during the vacation with diversifying activities for children, and if they are enjoyable for them, then in turn they will not use the devices a lot, but in the absence of these activities, undoubtedly, the devices will be the only option for children.” ».

And he added that the statistics published by the Digital Wellbeing Council in the UAE showed that the majority of parents confirmed that “exposure to inappropriate images” is the source of their greatest digital concern, while others said that “interacting with strangers” is the main source of concern, and others considered that “ “Cyberbullying” is the biggest source of their digital anxiety, and parents did not exclude the possibility of “exposure to dangerous games” from the main sources of anxiety.

He pointed out that the ideal solution for safe use is to educate children, enhance their critical thinking to deal with various situations, and adjust privacy settings on their phones, including social media and games, to limit their communication with strangers, whether it is verbal or written communication, knowing that every application It includes its own privacy and parental control settings.

Moza Al-Shoumi, Vice President of the Emirates Society for Child Rights, said that the most important risks resulting from the excessive use of digital means is the entry of children into free time at a time when parental control is less, which exposes them to the risks of exposure to topics greater than their age, and the presentation of ideas that are not suitable for them.

She added that the danger lies in exposure to extraneous ideas that contradict the principles and values ​​of the society in which they live, pointing out that “some people sometimes think that the danger may come from inappropriate electronic games, but the greatest danger comes from strangers who are identified through the Internet, which may exposes them to cyber or sexual blackmail or bullying.”

And she continued, “The child searches for curiosity, especially during adolescence, so he starts graduating with the virtual world, until he reaches an orgasm or some information, then his desires and curiosity lead him;

We are facing a great world of dangers for the child, especially the period in which parental control is less, such as the vacation period, because it constitutes a void period.

She explained, “There are two types of censorship;

Mechanism and realism, the first is through which the guardian determines the sleeping time for the children, and if he leaves them, he follows them himself so that he knows what devices they use.

As for automatic control, he can view the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority website, to find out the applications through which children can be closed to certain sites, and to control phones connected to the Internet.

Al-Shoumi stressed that if parents do not have electronic knowledge, they cannot protect children from danger.

The National Telecommunications Authority has on its website comprehensive awareness of supervision, noting that “children from 15 to 18 years old are the most at risk, because the child enters a different age and school stage, which is the most dangerous among his different age stages, and then the guardian must follow the awareness and supervision In addition to proper guidance.

In turn, the Director of the Child Safety Department in Sharjah, Hanadi Salem Al Yafei, confirmed that the safe use of the Internet is one of the issues of concern to the Child Safety Department in Sharjah. The Ministry of Community Development, the Khalifa Empowerment Program - Aqdar, and the Sharjah Police General Command, to guide children on how to follow safe electronic practices, and how to address the dangers of the Internet and cybercrimes that target them, most notably extortion, account hacking, and cyberbullying.

She added that the Child Safety Department organized many workshops on the safe use of the Internet, to raise awareness of how to avoid bullying and abuse in the virtual world, and to focus on raising awareness of the importance of learning the steps related to securing social media accounts to prevent children from intrusions and protect them from cyberbullying.

Al-Yafei urged parents to provide protection for their children to prevent them from being exposed to electronic intrusions, by securing electronic devices with basic protection programs, teaching children how to secure their accounts on social networking sites, reducing hours of Internet use and playing time with electronic devices or phones connected to the Internet, and focusing on live games that enhance The child's connection with the reality around him, and allows him to form friendships with his peers.

Abdelnour Sami:

• "Parental control should include limiting hours of use, and diversifying them between applications and means."

Shumi banana:

• "Children between the ages of 15 and 18 are most at risk... and supervision must be strengthened."

Hanadi Al Yafei:

• "Extortion, account hacking, and cyberbullying...the most widespread digital crime."

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