Pooja Goyal recommends the ACT — Awareness, Communication and Take action — mantra to keep children safe
In the new Google age, the issue of child safety is not limited to the home, park and school, but extends into the online world that 21st century children inhabit with as much ease as the physical world. The dangers and threats lurking in cyberspace are numerous. A recent cyber bullying study conducted by the US-based i-Safe Foundation found that more than half of adolescents surveyed are victims of cyber bullying with most of them not reporting such abuse to their parents.
Obviously, it’s impossible for parents to shadow their children, especially teenagers, every waking hour. Therefore it’s imperative that parents educate and train children, especially adolescents to be watchful, alert, identify offline and online threats and immediately report abuse, enticements and threats to parents. I strongly recommend the ACT — Awareness, Communication and Take action — mantra to parents to keep children safe.
Awareness. The first step for the safety of children is to remain connected with them and encourage two-way communication. Dinner table conversations, bedtime routines, or a walk in the evening are ideal times to have free-flowing one-on-one conversations with children. If you are a connected and involved parent, your antenna will easily detect signals of a distressed child. Also, make it your business to monitor websites and apps frequently used by children while making efforts to know their friends.
Take action. Supportive and decisive response from one or both parents is critical for stemming abuse and aiding emotional recovery. Children need to know that parents will listen, believe and respond swiftly to their complaints. Moreover, as teenage children spend more time away from parents, encourage them to trust their own instincts and develop good judgement skills.
(An alumna of IIT-Delhi and INSEAD, France, Pooja Goyal is a serial entrepreneur and chief strategist officer of KLAY Schools)