According to a new article by The National, cyber criminals have had even more access to children in recent years due to new technology in schools and homes across the United Arab Emirates. So what do the stats say? Over 98 percent of all respondents have claimed to have used smartphones, computers or tablets to launch financial transactions, many of these being children.
It’s shocking just how advanced children are with their technology usage nowadays, with many making online purchases and downloading programs which have exposed their systems to virus attacks and the theft of personal information and even images. More than 60% of all respondents claimed that they had experienced attempts to steal their financial information, costing them on average AED 271, about $74 or £44.
Now at first this may seem like a small price to pay, but when you consider that not only can these attacks be made repeatedly then it becomes a much bigger issues. What’s worse is that personal information can be stolen and used by both e-Fraudsters and Paedophile rings at the danger of your family’s livelihood. This is more than just a little scary, this is downright dangerous, and especially when you consider that over 10% of families who have experienced these attacks have had personal information and files stolen or removed, as well as a similar amount claiming that their children had been in direct contact with strangers online.
- Internet criminals stealing information and getting access to children
- Malware causing widespread damage to systems unknowingly
- Costing around AED 271 to a family per attack
So what is the cure? How do we possibly protect our children from the dangers of the online world? Many believe that the key is restricting access to the internet entirely and monitoring all participants in the virtual space. This is particularly apparent with the rise of the US Government installing more and more surveillance protocols in place on ISPs, Search Engines and even Social Media. Other governments including the UK and Iran are noted to employ similar measures of surveillance. Although this may indeed protect the masses provided that agents are employed to constantly monitor all traffic from around 2.5 billion users every second of every day all year long, it’s simply not-cost effective or possible to monitor individuals. Plus it breaches a basic human right to privacy on an ethical level.
The other option is definitely a harder one for parents to follow, simply keep an eye on your children, become educated in the ways of online safety and make sure to educate them as well. It might seem long and laborious but the effects pay off dramatically when you realize that your child is surfing the net, safe and sound, e-street wise.
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[TheNational: Tech-savvy youngsters are costing UAE parents money]
[Internet World Stats]