Worried about how much time your kids are spending online these days and the increase in risk of their exposure to internet dangers? You aren’t alone. According to Mobily Esports, over 74 percent of parents in the region are worried about their child’s online safety.
Global research carried out in the run up to Safer Internet Day (Tuesday February 9) shows that 33 percent of parents are in the dark when it comes to who their kids are gaming with online.
And parents are being warned that online predators are capitalising on the pandemic by targeting kids through popular games.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a huge spike in children playing online games during the pandemic and there were over 15,000 reports of online child abuse in September 2020 alone – a record breaking month according to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
Experts and charities are now warning that tighter restrictions need to be put in place to protect kids online.
Historically, a majority of parents have been focused on the content of the games their little gamers are playing, but this new research raises more concerns about the risks associated with online gaming.
In the Middle East and North Africa, it’s thought that there are more than 100 million gamers playing popular video games like Fortnite and Apex allow kids to speak to people all over the world and a fifth of parents in the region believe their child speaks to strangers online between two and three times a week.
Experts are warning that online predators are taking advantage of this situation to actively contact, target and coerce children online presenting “a grave and widespread threat”.
Feeling anxious about it all? Watch this video for some top tips.
Time to slam on those parent controls and to get more involved in what goes on online.
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