Experts Say, Kids Are Chatting Online With Strangers More Than You Think

Want more parenting news? Check out:

• EXPERTS SAY, SMELL OF NEWBORN BABIES TRIGGERS MEMORY AND MOTIVATION FOR MOMS
• EXPERTS SAY, KIDS SHOULD NAP MIDDAY, EVEN IN SCHOOL
• EXPERTS WARN, CHILD DROWNINGS LINKED TO PHONE-DISTRACTED PARENTS
• EXPERTS SAY YOUR 8-YEAR-OLD SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO LAUNDRY
• EXPERTS SAY, GRANDPARENTS WHO BABYSIT GRANDKIDS LIVE LONGER

Experts Say, Kids Are Chatting Online With Strangers More Than You Think

A survey conducted by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education revealed that 40% of the kids surveyed chat online with strangers. FOURTY PERCENT. That is almost half of all the kids surveyed.

The survey was conducted with kids aged 4-8 to understand their internet usage behavior and to what extent they engage with inappropriate content or in this case, people online. The percentages of the findings from the survey are quite alarming and downright TERRIFYING. 

I think the most alarming part of it all is that among the children, a whopping 87% of the kids were taught about proper and safe online internet safety and yet, many of them still disobeyed and chatted with strangers online!

Now, keep in mind that these not only included adults they were chatting with online. A stranger could have been defined as another child online and was considered someone they didn’t know. However, you can never be too safe these days especially when adult and predators have posed as kids as a way to lure children to meeting with them. 

And the thing is, as parents most of us believe our children “know better” or wouldn’t do it but this survey and many others like it, prove otherwise. Kids that have access to their phones, tablets and other devices with internet are even found to be using these devices in the middle of the night when we believe they are sleeping.

Our solution is we make our kids leave their devices on the counter in the kitchen plugged in for the night. We also have a camera in the kitchen in case our kids try to pull one on us and claim they didn’t get up to use their device.