DOWNLOAD NOW FOR YOUR TEEN'S PROTECTION ON FACEBOOK

Predators crawl on the web everywhere waiting for naive kids and teenagers to introduce themselves. Especially, if your children are on 'Facebook' hanging for hours playing games or chatting with friends, it's a red alert to be aware, beware!

Social networking sites appeal to kids and teenagers, mostly because they encompass so many of the online tools and entertainment activities that they know, love and talk over with friends. These networks provide a centralized control center to access real-time and asynchronous communication features, blogging tools, photo, music and video sharing features, and the ability to post original creative work – all linked to a unique profile that can be customized and updated on a regular basis.

My recent observations with children who are active on Facebook and the parental concern who complain about their child's activity on web, call for Privacy matters that matter the most! Facebook is a great place for having fun time but at the same time, kids get into gossip with friends on chat. The first step is to ensure that children are protected with Privacy controls at Facebook. Incidents of ditching account and opening a new one due to bully, cases of hacked passwords and misuse of account by friends etc. have come to light. Though Facebook offers most extensive privacy control settings, it's suggested to focus on critical areas.

Controls can be set to allow only those who know you to send you messages or comments, which helps protect them from spammers and potentially dangerous interactions. Kids also need to know how to set contact information privacy settings to make their e-mail, phone number, screen name and even home address unavailable for public view.

Much to be said on Facebook Privacy Control for which, you can log to Family Safety Center or just go to Teens Safety. However, this alone is not enough for Parents who have kids and teenagers who surf their way on the web!  As per the recent Pew Internet report,  95% of all American teens ages 12-17 are now online and 80% of those online teens are users of social media sites. Social activity of teen life is echoed and amplified - in both good and bad ways even in India. Monitoring their activities has become dim for parents and even teachers at times. As a result, the need of the hour is using technologies and make sure your teens know where to go for support if someone ever harasses them. Help them understand how to make responsible and safe choices about what they post—because anything they put online can be misinterpreted or taken out of context.

Privacy matters! And, as far as kids and teenagers are concerned, the best recommendation is Chit Chat - a Facebook tool that allows you to access Facebook chat on your desktop. It also offer an optional tool alongside Chit Chat: United Parents. United Parents is a solution that allows parents to protect their children online whilst respecting their privacy.

The United Parents system analyses behavioural parameters of online chats to identify and flag potential predators, cyber bullies, as well as self inflicted threats. In the short time since its launch, the system has identified issues on a variety of issues, ranging from suicide related discussions to sexual conversations with strangers.

Daniel Offer, Managing Director at Athena IT Limited explains that the IT firm is “concerned about online privacy as well as security." "Parents want to give their children freedom while still protecting them from potential danger; United Parents and Chit Chat for Facebook make that possible," he says.

The combination of Chit Chat for Facebook and United Parents Child Protection Services offers the following features:

Child’s Summary Dashboard – A continuously updated analysis of the child’s online behavior including time online, demographic information of people communicating with child, social networks and instant messaging services used, and top subjects discussed.
Alerts - Alerting the parent of the child if/when a child gets into trouble online.
Digital Graphology™ – Automatic predator tracking and blocking software using “digital fingerprints."
Monthly Reports – Snapshots of child’s online behavior that is sent to parents via email.

Invading the privacy of a child isn't a good idea but knowing the moves and keeping trace of activities is a guiding light to help them interact in a positive manner and dialogue regarding potentially dangerous communications. Enhance the security so not knowing face-to-face who your child's friend is,  you can get to know who an online friend is with the integration of United Parents and Chit Chat for Facebook. At the same time, protect them from the potential danger of predators crawling on the web!

- ilaxi patel
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