By: Rita Núñez
Chat, upload photos and videos, write messages, reconnect with friends from the past or meet people from other countries... All that and more is what social networks allow us to do today.
In that sense, becoming part of the world of these Internet 2.0 tools, actively participating in them is an experience that can be very fruitful.
And like any tool that is available to people, they can give us benefits and disadvantages, as well as we ourselves can make good or bad uses of them.
Therefore, after the advent of social networks and web 2.0, it was a logical step that the negative aspects or disadvantages of the internet and these networks began to emerge.
One of the most worrying is that many children and adolescents are at constant risk of being victims of people who threaten their personal well-being. Unpleasant information that affects other users can also be disseminated.
If you have already entered the rhythm of social networks and the internet or still do not, it is better that you know a series of phenomena that arise from these technologies and that you are familiar with words such as cyberbullying, grooming or sexting, which are synonymous with the dangers that currently exist for children and adolescents who circulate on web 2.0 platforms, such as MSN, Facebook, Fotolog and YouTube, among others.
Perhaps you have known cases through television or a friend of yours has suffered from cyberbullying, which is the sustained abuse between schoolchildren from a digital medium or the internet, basically. This is done through platforms such as Fotolog, YouTube and MySpace and the way to act is that an aggressor uploads photos of a victim, so that other users can post comments, often negative. In this way, it is common to see that one group of users insults or defames another through tricked or "photoshopped" photos. And when diving into YouTube it is possible to find this same type of violence, but more physical, since this platform has been validated by students/users to upload videos of fights and abuse.
Another form of abuse is grooming, through which children and adolescents are deceived by adults who use lies to pose as a friend of the same age as the victim they have chosen. Thus, they manage to access personal information, such as photographs or videos, to misuse them, and also more personal data to threaten and extort money from minors.As some television programs have shown, this has become a recurring abuse in Chile. However, it is not yet classified as a crime, being seen more as a communicational concept rather than a legal figure. In fact, at present, there has to be physical sexual abuse for it to be considered a crime.
And there's also sexting, which equates to the contraction of the English words "sex" and "texting." This is the sending of messages but in the form of images or videos with sexual connotation through a mobile computer.Preferably, they are sent by teenagers who are photographed naked or semi-naked.
While sexting may seem fun, it can also become a nightmare, since these messages can go beyond the private sphere and be published on the internet, which, obviously, affects the image of the person who sent the photograph or video, since they can also be a victim of the social environment through cyberbullying.
Today sexting could be recognized for child pornography. However, there are also no legal tools to deal with this type of abuse.
Preventive work
Due to the seriousness of this situation, in Chile the Cybercrime Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) has a group that is dedicated to investigating child pornography on the Internet.
"Cyberbullying is used by children who, in this way, can keep anonymity to continuously annoy a certain partner, either through psychological or physical aggression. Many times networks such as Facebook are used to send this type of messages or also create web pages to insult a minor, "explains Inspector Roberto Arriagada, researcher of the Cybercrime Brigade of the PDI.
This entity is also fully aware of grooming. That is why it carries out a preventive work, of education to the community, where they go to schools to make talks about bullying and grooming aimed at children, teachers and parents.
They are also constantly carrying out investigative work: "Many parents do not know that this can be investigated and find the person who is making the negative comments or who is sending the messages," says the inspector.
But since it is not about reporting any activity, Roberto Arriagada indicates that it is possible to report these abuses when children are receiving threats directly, with messages such as "we are going to wait for you at the exit", or "we are waiting for you".
The way is to go to the PDI with the means of proof, either emails or messages published on social networks, "and we also recommend that parents discuss it with the educational establishment to review the situation," he says.
The problem is that many times they do not know that their child is being affected by grooming or cyberbullying. Given this, Roberto Arriagada's recommendation is clear: "That they transmit confidence to the children so that they are the first to know if they are being affected by this type of illicit activity, because today the children hide what is happening. That's why it's also good that they check the computer, the conversations and the photographs they have."
To request a talk from the Cybercrime Brigade, the director or some authority of the lyceum or school must write to [email protected].
Top tips
The inspector of the Cybercrime Brigade of the PDI, Roberto Arriagada, delivers several key aspects for parents to prevent their children from being victims of these risks or quickly find out when they affect them.
- Trust: The first thing is to talk openly about this issue with children, tell them that it is not right for anyone to threaten them or ask for photographs on the network and also explain that the internet is a virtual world with consequences in the real world, because suddenly children are confused.
- Parental control: Adults who stalk minors use psychological techniques to raise the spirits or self-esteem of their victims, talk to them nicely and start the game of seduction through the internet to make all kinds of requests, starting with photographs.
Therefore, in addition to having confidence with their children, parents must know what the internet is and the dangers it implies for children and adolescents. "Many of them go out to work and leave children all day with a PC available and connected to the internet all day. Therefore, it is recommended that they always check the computer and the photographs and videos that their children are publishing on the network, "says the researcher.
- Limit privacy: In the opinion of the inspector, it is not good to give so much privacy to children. On the contrary, he believes it is necessary to place the computer in a visible place within the home, either in a hallway or in the dining room, but never in the bedroom of the minor, where he will have all the privacy to produce his videos or photos.
Family as the first support
We must remember that the family is the primary socialization system and with the support of society in general can enhance/develop digital and media skills and abilities 2.0 in the children of our country. If you want to continue learning or contact us, please nosostr@s.
Source: serdigital.cl
