Protecting Qatar's Children on Social Media
Parents are all are faced with the challenge of keeping their children safe online and with the online world evolving rapidly each day, that task at times can seem daunting.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Bebo or My Space are some of the most popular among youth, allowing kids to create individual profiles, post updates, share pictures and build a global network of friends.
What do you think parents's role should be, when it comes to protecting their kids on social media? Should they let their kids discover the online by themselves? Do you think that parents' involvement can stiffle children's creativity & curiosity online, or otherwise? Is filtering software a sufficient option to protect kids?
ictQATAR recently spoke with Rachel O' Donnell, Chair of the European Commission Social Networking Task Force and the Chief Security Officer of Bebo, which is currently one of the largest social networking sites. She shared nine important areas of information all parents should know about their children and social networking sites and commented on the efficiency of filtering softwares, and how parents need to deal with the risks their kids may face online.
To read the full interview (in Arabic and English) with the Bebo Chief Security Officer, read ictQATAR's recent e-newsletter issue: http://www.ictqatar.qa/output/page1688.asp
I always watch what my son is doing on the net, and told him not to add strangers on FB and keep an eye on his buddy list...and also I constantly check the history of sites he visited. There is a time limit for his internet usage.
One good thing here is Qtel blocked all the sites with Adult contents...which is a good filter for kids.