The 4 Biggest Risks Of Your Child Owning A Mobile …
The New Dangers of Growing Up With Technology
This is a republished post from engine-mobile.co.uk.
Kids and teens today are growing up in a completely different world – they face problems that we didn’t have when we were younger. Modern parents have a duty to their children to know the risks that come with technology and mobile phones, before it is too late.
Sexting
Think your child wont be affected by sexting? Well the stats disagree.
According to a UK survey on teenage mobile phone habits 6/10 UK youths have been asked to send a sexual image or video of themselves. Shockingly, 25% of those asked actually did send an explicit image of themselves. Even more shockingly, 1/3rd of those who sent an image, sent it to a someone they knew online but not in real life.
Unfortunately the sad truth is that anything shared online, over text or through apps can be saved and used to harass, blackmail or embarrass your child, which can be really distressing.
School Performance
Studies have shown that when children stay up on their mobile phones this can dramatically affect their school performance. A good nights sleep, without the distractions of a mobile, will help your child achieve their potential.
Cyberbullying
Online bullying is a growing problem for UK youths, where 1 in 4 state they have experienced something upsetting on social media. Being bullied online can be more devastating as kids are no longer able to leave their problems, and bullies, in the playground. In some cases, your child might not even know who their ‘online’ bully is.
Grooming
Grooming or ‘catfishing’ (pretending to be someone else online) is a big issue in the UK. Be sure to teach your children to be cautious with strangers online and to be honest with you about who they are speaking to. Children shouldn’t be punished for trying to make friends but if they are keeping secrets or behaving differently this could be a cause for concern.
A brand new parent-child friendly mobile network has recently launched called Engine Mobile. It was designed to allow children to have the independence of a mobile but with some parental protection.
The network provides a sim which can be used in any unlocked mobile phone. It works like any normal sim card and offers great coverage all over the UK.
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There you have it, the 4 Biggest Risks Of Your Child Owning A Mobile… What do you think of this article? Do you know of any other risks to a child owning a mobile phone? Please leave a comment below