Back in November, Facebook was the target of a concerted hacking campaign that posted violent and pornographic images in users’ news feeds.
It was the kind of hack that’s more commonly seen outside the world’s premier social network. The fact that it occurred within Facebook however, means parents and children can add malicious code and inappropriate content to the list of risks they need to be aware of.
So what are the other risks? First there’s the privacy issue. Plenty of adults have trouble setting privacy limits on Facebook and other social media so it’s not surprising that children often have similar problems. It’s important to customize settings so that children and parents are comfortable about the amount of information children make available. Facebook allows you to regulate, among other things, location tagging, photo tagging and mobile number availability. They’re all worth considering in the interests of privacy and personal security.
Cyber stalking and bullying is a problem that continues to dominate the debate, and for good reason. Since children are often taken unawares by bullying in social media and are unable to avoid it or brace themselves (you can’t just walk away), the fall out can be catastrophic. Of course many children simply don’t know how to behave online or are not sufficiently mature enough to appreciate the impact of their actions. This is one reason why the official minimum recommended age for Facebook is 13.
The other big child-safety issue on Facebook is the real and perceived problem of predators. With a friendly looking profile and a few well-chosen posts an individual with bad intentions can friend a child and establish a rapport. The best defence against this kind of behaviour is education. Children need to be taught to be vigilant and to only friend people they know.
Each family needs to establish its own rules and standards of behaviour regarding the use of social media. Some parents may not allow their children to use Facebook at all. Others may insist on knowing their children’s password to monitor their activity while some still may simply insist on being a friend in order to do the same. A family chat to establish ground rules that everyone is happy with is a good idea.
Norton provides a number of resources that can help you to keep your children safe while using social media. Norton Online Family is a free service that lets you monitor your children’s Web activities. It also notifies you if something looks questionable. Norton Safe Web for Facebook helps keep you and your children safe from cybercrime, viruses and dangerous websites.
Norton Internet Security 2012 and Norton 360 Version 6.0 both offer enhanced protection for your children. They help you keep an eye on your kids’ social network activities and with whom they’re chatting online so you can spot potential dangers. They also integrate with Norton Family Online for added peace of mind. You can download your free trials here.
