Safer Internet Day 2019.
5th February 2019
The internet is a vast, ever changing, amazing world of learning, unlimited information and communication. In the modern world we are exposed to new ways of playing games, learning and meeting new people from all over the world via the internet, but with this comes the exposure to a wicked world of danger. Chatrooms, social media, emailing can all bring their fair share of trouble ranging from online abuse, cyber-bullying, exposure to inappropriate material, gambling and even sexual predators.
With this is mind it has become so important to be aware of the ‘hidden’ dangers your children, friends, family members and even you are exposed to when online. Tuesday 5th February marks Safer Internet Day 2019! The aim of today is to ignite and inspire a national conversation about using the internet and technology responsibly, respectfully and rewardingly.
Here at Psychology Chartered we predominantly work with clients that present with Acquired Brain Injuries. This makes these individuals more vulnerable than most due to their sometimes-distorted thought processes, impulsive behaviours, and cognitive impairments.
Befriending strangers, arranging to meet up with people they don’t know, sharing personal (private) information online, looking at inappropriate or illegal sites- These are just some of the dangers that can be encountered online leaving vulnerable individuals in a position to be exploited, abused and possibly groomed. It’s a scary thought, right?
Below are some big risks that vulnerable people face online:
- Posting of Private Information: Some of our clients have a distorted perception around understanding social boundaries. They may post personal information online that should not be publicly aired: this could be anything from inappropriate images, phone number and sometimes their home address. This can lead to a whole host of problems including fraudulent activity and should be addressed as soon as possible.
- Cyberbullying: Social media, online gaming, online dating, gambling- are all examples of today’s virtual playgrounds. Similarly, just like what would have taken place on the traditional school playground, these online sites are where most cyberbullying activity takes place. Don’t be fooled, cyberbullying can take various forms and is not restricted to the younger generations. Although we can refer to these as ‘virtual playgrounds’ the dangers they bring are very real and cause real problems.
- Cyberpredators: Predators of all kinds (including sexual) can stalk children and other vulnerable individuals online taking advantage of their naivety, innocence, abusing their trust and even luring them into dangerous encounters and situations.
- Stranger danger: The age-old advice of ‘don’t talk to strangers’ is especially important online. Although you feel safer behind a keyboard or a phone screen, the dangers of talking to a stranger online are strikingly similar to those faced when meeting a person face to face. For the individuals who are more vulnerable, the problems are more apparent because they may not see the problem with this kind of behaviour. It is so important to highlight the possible consequences of doing this, while doing our best to protect them.
We are running a training session dealing with the Risks of Online Use and Social Media which will cover these issues, as well as many more. It will look at the risks of vulnerable clients face online as well as prevention and aversion techniques. We have chosen to create this training in order to move with the very fast moving and changing modern world we live in.
To receive more information regarding this new training session please drop us an email to training@psychologychartered.co.uk