Dr. Tanya Byron, parenting expert and television star in the UK, stated that our society is “afraid of children” and we are “raising our children in captivity”. Because parents have become so fearful of the dangers our children might encounter when outside, we’ve trained them to remain indoors where they become more likely to experience Internet-related dangers. While we’re panicking over gang violence and risks of child abductions in the real world, our children are quietly navigating through cyberbullying attacks and dangerous downloads without any parental help.
Last year, Dr. Byron’s presented an extensive and groundbreaking report for Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government with recommendations about strategies for creating a safer Internet for children. (Note: I was a contributor to her report.) Some who commented on her report actually recommended banning children from using the internet or restricting their access to the daytime or early evening hours.
Today, Dr. Byron advises parents to become more informed about online activities so they can educate and guide their children. Dr. Byron’s recommends that public service campaigns will be necessary to educate the adults and the children, something along the lines of the previous generations’ campaigns to get people to use seatbelts in cars.