5 dangers your child faces online and needs you to help navigate

What to be aware of when your child uses the internet with insights from Brett Lee, Founder of Internet Safe Education.

The internet can be a powerful - yet very perilous - place for children as they navigate the challenges of growing up, mixed with the complexities of the evolving digital world.

Without guidance from you as their guardian, your child is faced with everything that exists online, from new cultures and perceived anonymity to online predation and the addictive nature of screens.

These are among the most prevalent dangers that your child is at risk of experiencing, which we sat down with Internet Safe Education's founder, Brett Lee, to discuss.

Here's what to look out for...

1. Access to everything that exists online

Simply put, the internet is not built for children. It’s a space inhabited by loads of uncensored content, highly addictive sites and systems, and countless users who can’t be identified.

Alarmingly, when your child launches the internet, they are granted unrestricted access to all of these dangers - and exposed to everything the online world has to offer.

“When it comes to the internet, our kids are little children in an adult world,” says Brett Lee, Internet Safe Education’s founder.

“By default, when your child has access to the internet, they also have access to every person and every issue that exists in that world,” he says.

This includes cyberbullies and online predators, addictive games, malicious video streaming sites, and the list goes on.

“So often, it’s not that your child will deliberately make a bad decision online, it’s what they can be exposed to that will get them into trouble,” he says, and that’s why there needs to be some serious adult oversight as your child navigates everything that’s out there.

2. Exposure to different cultures and people

The type of people we surround ourselves with in real life will often shape who we are as people - and it’s no different in the online world.

As our impressionable young ones continue to develop their sense of self and form their own values and opinions, it’s important to know who they’re being influenced by online.

But why, exactly? Well, in Lee’s words:

“Exposure to particular cultures or people on the internet may start to mould certain mindsets within our children that aren’t consistent with what we - as parents - want them to believe. It may reinforce values or opinions that we don’t wish to instil in our kids.

“Vulnerability to people’s inappropriate content can also cause fear or confusion in our children, may change their personality or even cause them to incite hate or radicalisation later in life,” he says.

And we certainly don’t want to be fostering that.

3. The illusion of anonymity and privacy

Cyberbullies, cybercriminals and online predators believe they can get away with their malicious actions on the internet because of their perceived sense of anonymity.

“Attackers are more prone to doing their thing online because they are hiding their face and their identity behind a screen,” Lee says.

But it isn’t always a creepy hooded man sitting in a dark, mysterious room that's out to hurt your child.

In 2017, 1 in 5 young Australians admitted to behaving in a negative way to one of their own peers online - calling them names, deliberately excluding them or spreading lies or rumours.

So, there’s certainly more than just your stereotypical hacker to be looking out for when your child surfs the internet or connects with their “friends” online.

4. Predatory behaviour

“We know that child sex offenders exist in our world,” Lee says, “so predatory behaviour must be accounted for online because it certainly exists there too.”

Alarmingly, online child exploitation has been on the rise over the last decade, soaring from 1,000 Australian cases in 2009 to a staggering 17,000 in 2019.

And with over 20 years’ experience with the federal police investigating child exploitation, Lee has seen all the worst things that children can be - and actually are - manipulated into experiencing on the internet, from grooming to sexual blackmail.

“This behaviour is very real and needs to be taken more seriously,” he says.

5. The addictive nature of screens

Screen time is skyrocketing among our younger generation, while content creators are becoming smarter than ever when it comes to keeping us scrolling.

“Companies that create apps are very good at what they do,” Lee says “which is to keep us online and engaged.”

For young people whose brains are still developing, it can be difficult to resist the urge to keep playing that game or watching that video, which is why parents need to keep on top of their child’s device usage.

But the real question is: how can this be done?

With so much to be aware of - from inappropriate content to predatory behaviour - how can you as a parent look out for your child in the online world, but still give them the independence they desire within the digital space?

We’ve put together some of the best ways to monitor your child’s device usage, which includes an infographic free to download.

Read 4 ways to monitor your child’s device usage without seeming overprotective here, and take those first steps to fostering your child’s safety and wellbeing online.

Because after all, that’s what matters most.

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Contributor: Brett Lee, Founder, Internet Safe Education

Brett Lee, Founder of Internet Safe Education, is the leading former detective to take his 20+ years of working and training in cyber crime to helping parents, educators, and the general public to understand how to protect themselves and, most importantly, their children online.

He’s worked on some of the most high-profile crimes for the likes of the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and as a detective in an Australian Police Force. Brett’s experience in cyber crime is unparalleled and has led him to be a sought-after speaker, media commentator and thought leader in Australia and internationally.

Brett believes that by empowering the community with the right knowledge at the right time, every person can be safe online. In fact, he feels so strongly about this that he’s dedicated the last 12 years to developing easy to understand content that anyone can apply to their lives.