Predator alert: How to keep your kids safe online
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The danger is real and it’s happening constantly — online predators looking for their next victim.
It happened to an 11-year-old girl in Bakersfield and it can happen on your street next.
“Predators and pedophiles, and even people that have this kind of predatory behavior look for situations where there is a void,” said psychologist Dr. Corey Gonzales. “They look for situations where there is a need. They’re very calculated.”
Experts say keeping your kids safe from tech savvy predators is easier than you think. Just learn to say no to your kids when they ask to jump on social media platforms.
“Kids should not have access to social media before 13 years old, that is the youngest,” said CMO Titania Jordan with Bark.
Bark’s 2023 Annual Report on Children and Technology analyzed more than 5.6 billion messages and found 58% of tweens and 75% of teens encountered sexual content online, and 8% of tweens and 10% of teens encountered predatory behaviors from someone online.
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“Make sure there are time limits, make sure there are filters and make sure that you are using a monitoring solution that can send you alerts when they encounter bad things,” said Jordan.
Jordan said you can download a software monitoring app that helps you track red flags. You can also use the device’s built in safety features that come with Apple or Google services like Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time, or just take it away.
“Take their phone out of their room before bedtime,” said Dr. Gonzales. “Don’t just let it sit there all the time. It’s up to you to help them navigate through this information.”
Experts say the best step of all is talking to your kid to keep them safe online.
“They could be any age, any gender. They could be anything. You don’t know who they are so you start there and you talk to your kids about that,” said Dr. Gonzales.
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