PARENTS may be forgiven for thinking their children are engaging in harmless fun in some innocent gaming site.
But a global study revealed that this could not be further from the truth with social gaming platforms providing ideal hiding places for these sexual predators to lurk and prey on unsuspecting children.
Alarmingly, the latest report by WeProtect Global Alliance states that it takes less than 20 seconds for children to be exposed to high-risk grooming situations on these social gaming platforms.
It also revealed a 360% increase in children aged seven to 10 sharing their own explicit images with sexual predators from 2020 to 2022.
The report states that conversations with children on social gaming platforms can escalate into high-risk grooming situations within 19 seconds, with an average grooming time of just 45 minutes.
It explained that social gaming environments that facilitate adult-child intermingling, exchanging virtual gifts and public ranking systems, significantly increase these risks.
Consequences have ranged from blackmail to suicide with many children suffering emotional and mental trauma from these experiences.
There certainly must be greater awareness among Malaysians of the threat posed by these sexual predators.
Parents might think that their offspring are safe as they right under their noses but unbeknownst to them, they are actually mingling online with very dangerous characters.
Here are some basic-cum-handy tips for parents to apply:
- Remind children to always keep personal information private
- Use the privacy settings
- Always reviews apps, sites and games the children want to use
- Get to know who their friends are
- Install blocking software on children’s digital devices
- Absolutely no exchanging of photographs
Bear in mind that cyberspace really is the equivalent of the wild west and it is full of dangers that many parents have never experienced before. It pays to be safe to ensure children do not become victims to these predators. – Oct 19, 2023
Main pic credit: Faithit
