5 Ways You Can Protect Children From Online Exploitation
By: Megan Walker
To understand the importance of protecting our children, we must first establish what exploitation looks like. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines exploitation as, “mak[ing] use of meanly or unfairly for one's own advantage”. And while many parents or individuals may assume that they do not fall under this definition, exploitation can be seen in the seemingly most innocent posts and interactions on the internet. It can feel harmless to share your child’s milestones to the world wide web—or to engage with the content that one shares about their child—but it is crucial to consider the greater consequences. When we realize the true dangers that come from the exploitation of children online, we may think twice about hitting post. So, those with children in their lives, please consider these 5 prompts to better educate yourselves on how you can encourage and protect the vulnerable children in your life.
1. Realize the True Threat of Online Predators
The individuals we interact with online are not always people that we may know personally. As adults we can more easily recognize those online who may have bad intentions, but for young children, they may not have the important guidelines to see this. According to the Information Security Awareness Website, a webpage dedicated to informing the public on how to interact online with caution, they define an online predator as “internet users who exploit children and teens for sexual and violent purposes. This may include child grooming, engage in sexual activities, unwanted exposure of materials and pictures, online harassment, [and] threats to cause fear or embarrassment”. While we are aware of the threat that online predators can pose in terms of grooming children, our children may not be. The Information Security Awareness Website has great references to ways we can teach children how to be aware. The website shares some of the warning signs for what a potential online predator can act like. These include things such as asking a child personal details, offering gifts, wanting to meet in person, threating to share private information, or expressing too much affection. It is our responsibility as parents, guardians, and caretakers to inform our children of the real threats online and to share with them safeguards so they can be equipped to recognize these threats.
2. Think Before You Post
In the recent years of online sharing becoming normalized, “sharenting” has been coined as the term used to describe parents sharing their children to online platforms. While many of these parents are sharing with the intent to simply connect and celebrate, there are still many risks that sharing content centralized around children can pose. In the article Sharenting in an Evolving Digital World: Increasing online connection and consumer vulnerability, researchers observe the behaviors and ways that sharenting can impact children and parents alike. They acknowledge the vulnerabilities of sharenting when they say that “sharenting parents are also the first generation to grow up with social media, which leads to certain vulnerabilities: while they are familiar with the technology, this closeness can create a false sense of trust, as they may be un aware of the full impact of sharenting” (Ong et al.,1111). The impact of sharing children online can go much further than simply letting your followers know about your child’s potty-training experience. When these things are posted online, the child has no power to give permission and perhaps down the line this information can embarrass or frustrate a child for being shared so publicly. Not only that, but it’s also important to consider the intent behind the post. With the article describing how many mothers post online “who may desire to portray being a ‘good mother’” (Ong et al., 1112). If this is the intent of posting a child, then the gain no longer is in the interest of the child and therefore would be considered exploitation. If this is the case with any potential post you should consider the possible repercussions for your child and rethink posting.
3. Respect Children’s Personal Information
While children are under the care of parents, it can become easy for one to think that their child’s personal information is under the direction of the parent or guardian. And while it is certainly important for parents to use a child’s personal information for school, medical, and other reasons, it is even more important to protect this information from getting into the wrong hands. In the article titled The Monetization of Childhood: How Child Social Media Stars are Unprotected from Exploitation in the United States, Pacht-Friedman explores the dangerous ways in which children are being exploited for capital gain. Not only does this monetization of children impact their livelihood, but it also creates serious dangers around their personal security. The article reports that “as of 2010, it was reported by the digital security company, AVG, that ninety-two percent of two-year old's in the United States have a digital footprint” (Pacht-Friedman, 376). This digital footprint not only can include content posted online via parents’ accounts, but it can also include personal information utilized by parents to share things with followers or create accounts on behalf of their children. While some may justify this behavior as sharing with trusted family members, securing an email address on behalf of a child, or simply wanting to create an online account for their child, it poses serious threats for the child’s future safety. With the article accounting that “by 2030, sharenting could account for two-thirds of identity fraud, since using the details parents post can allow fraudsters access to personal information (Pacht-Friedman, 377). It is crucial that we keep these dangers in mind and allow our children the decision of when and how they want to use their personal information online.
4. Prevent Encouragement of Child Content
We’ve heard of them many times before, the mommy bloggers, micro-influencers, and the family YouTube channels. Unfortunately, with many of these channels, blogs, and social media accounts bringing in revenue, these online personalities are exploiting their children. Many of these online personalities make money off of showing family content which typically, their child does not benefit from directly. In an article by the BBC, the case of a well-known YouTuber, Ruby Franke, is reflected on after she received jail time for abusing her children. Within the article, reporters recount Ruby’s controversial YouTube career, disclosing that followers of Ruby began to worry about her children and these “viewers combed through her archives and pointed out other disturbing and controversial methods…such as withholding food, threatening to chop the head off a toy stuffed animal and "cancelling" Christmas as a punishment”. Many of these followers had no idea what was happening behind the scenes for the Franke children. With no laws or regulations for children in social media, we all run a risk by interacting with this type of content. It is unknown to the viewer whether these children are actively agreeing to be in this content by their own choice, or if it is forced. By supporting, viewing, or purchasing, users are allowing the monetization of children to continue. Whether you have a child or not, avoid following, subscribing, or viewing these accounts, because this interaction is simply encouraging further exploitation.
5. Support Children’s Rights Laws
While the U.S has yet to create solidified laws surrounding children who work in the world of influencers, there are some states that are stepping forward and beginning to make changes that will diffuse the exploitation of children. In an article by The Shelf, they report that as of last year, the state of Illinois has passed a law that “guarantees partial compensation for child influencers younger than 16 years of age”. This is great news for the future protection of our children. Locally there is not yet any progression on laws that will protect children from this form of exploitation, but it is great to acknowledging that change is happening and to be aware of how we can support laws moving forward—and also look to states such as Illinois as examples—is a great way to advocate for the protection of children. The presence of the culture of posting children online is becoming increasingly more common. As we learn to navigate this online world, it is crucial that we keep the protection of children at the forefront of our minds. Exploitation can come in many forms, and being aware of how we may be contributing to the exploitation of our children is vital to us creating preventions and furthering the safety of the children that we care about.
About The Author
Megan Walker lives in Orem, UT with her husband and pet bonsai tree, Po. She is in her senior year at UVU studying writing studies. Megan is looking forward to graduating in the spring and will continue to advocate for protecting children and families from the threats of the world wide web.