Scams can cause extreme financial and emotional distress to victims and their families. With technology, scammers have become more creative in accessing their victims by offering quick clicks and false credibility. Even young teens that navigate effortlessly online have a hard time distinguishing legitimate situations from scams. To help you and your family avoid becoming the victims of a scammer, I interviewed “William”* who shared his mother’s story. She was an educated professional that fell victim to multiple scams over five years. You won’t want to miss the true story about what happened to her. If your family hasn’t taken steps for increased awareness and cybersecurity, you’ll want to check out our Cybersecurity & Red Flags supplement. The perfect compliment to our free Connected Family Agreement, you can take the extra steps you need to protect your loved ones right now. Our guide offers tips to avoid hacking, scamming, malware, and phishing and is a must-have for today’s modern family. Today’s GKIS article shares the story of an elderly woman victimized by scammers, the types of scams to look out for, and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim yourself.[1]
*Names were changed to protect the privacy of the victims.
What are scams?
A scam is a dishonest scheme to cheat someone or steal money. With the help of technology, scammers have been able to target their victims in more creative, easier, and faster ways than ever before. According to an FBI report, 2020 scams resulted in a loss of over 4.2 billion dollars. With more baby boomers retiring and the pandemic resulting in more at-hone isolation, I suspect those losses rose in the last few years.[1,2]
Who Scammers Target
Although anyone can become a scam victim, research has shown that scammers tend to target kids, teens, and the elderly. A study conducted by the University of Iowa confirmed that a certain area of the prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for processing information and solving problems – tasks that help people consider whether information is true or not. Young people tend to be vulnerable to scams because this part of the brain is still developing, and older individuals are vulnerable when they demonstrate poor technological fluency, are isolated, or suffer from a decline in problem solving ability.[3]
The Story of William and His Mom
William is a middle-aged man who generously shared his story with us about his elderly mother, Mrs. Thorn, who was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars over a five-year period. Despite his best efforts to protect and rescue her from the scammers, he struggled to keep her safe. Once one scammer got ahold of her and convinced her to send money, many other scammers started approaching her too. William suspects that the scams were somehow linked as if they shared her information with others. Below are some of the scams she fell victim to.
Different Types of Scams
Charity Scams
William described his mother as a generous individual. She was a nurse in Japan during the 1950s, and, after she retired, she continued helping others by volunteering at church and other organizations. As she got older, she would receive postcards in the mail from different charities, a common scam targeted at elders. Although her income from social security and savings was not a lot, she began “donating” money to those she perceived as less fortunate than herself.
Piecing together what happened with his mom’s checking and bank documents, William found that she initially sent small amounts of money ranging from $5-10. Once the scammers had her on the hook, however, they would groom her for larger and larger “charitable” donations.[4]
Lottery/Sweepstakes Scams
Another scam that William’s mother fell victim to was the lottery/sweepstakes scam, which also commonly targets elders. These types of scams claim that the victim has won a large amount of money or other prizes such as a new car. Once the victim is excited and eager to collect their prize, scammers require that they pay a fee or taxes. As the scammer reaches out with details, the victim often adopts an illusion of intimacy, meaning they feel they have a personal, caring relationship with the scammer. This false intimacy pulls the victim in deeper, often eliciting more and more personal information from the victim.
William confirmed that Mrs. Thorn spoke to the scammers about his efforts to block their access and protect her safety. Mrs. Thorn’s scammers not only instructed her not to tell anyone because it could be a nice surprise for her family, but they also offered specific suggestions on how to work around the safeguards her son put in place. They seemed to play on her wishes for independence and worked to create and escalate conflict between her and her son.
Our GKIS Connected Family Course can help you close screen risk gaps and improve family cooperation and closeness. If you have school-age children at home or love somebody who does, check it out. Not only does the course offer amazing safety home setup tips, but it helps parents create fun dialogues for better, healthier parent-child relationships.[4]
Government Impersonation Scams
William noticed that some of the scams his mom was involved with may be linked with others. For instance, to pay the taxes of her “prize,” the scammer would set Mrs. Thorn up to talk to an “IRS agent.” These types of scams are known as government impersonation scams which are types of very popular imposter scams. According to the FBI, government impersonation scams typically involve the scammer impersonating a government official who threatens to arrest or prosecute victims unless they pay a fee. William shared that they even tried to trick him with false threats of prosecution and arrest unless he agreed to cooperate.
Dr. Bennett shared that immigrants can easily be targeted with this type of scam as well. She shared a story of a colleague who was a Chinese immigrant who worked as a software engineer. This victim’s scammer posed as a member of the Chinese government and threatened the safety of her family if she didn’t pay overdue fines. The scammer demanded that she not tell her friends and family and immediately pay. She lost over $150,000 that was never recovered before she realized she’d been scammed.[4]
Phone Scams
William explains that although his mother’s scams initially started by mail, they soon turned into phone calls. He allowed me access to his mother’s journal which included notes on the people she spoke to and what they had asked her to do. Her notes reveal that she would talk to the same people over and over and eventually trusted them more than her own family and friends. The scammers were very persuasive and would instruct her how to wire funds to unfamiliar places and people, even going so far as giving her directions to wiring locations that her son had not blocked yet. William spent countless hours visiting banks, local wiring locations, and friends begging them to not help his mom transfer money or provide transportation. Although he spoke to his mom many times, he found that the scammers would get to her anyway with relentless pressure and creative arguments.
Scammers have no limits.
It was not until William caught his mom almost wire transferring $200,000 that he finally got the information he needed to gain conservatorship over Mrs. Thorn. By then, the scammers had even instructed her to how to send money from q reverse mortgage loan on her home to complete the transaction!
William said the scammers had no shame and would even help her find ways to continue participating in the scams even after he took steps to stop them. He shared that they would pressure her with false deadlines and threats, making her so anxious that she would rush into performing workaround instructions. Her journal reflects moments of intense anxiety as she tried to complete the complex transactions.
To emphasize how far scammers would go, he shared that, after he lowered his mom’s allowance to $25 a week and there was not much to get from her anymore, they still tried one last thing – the 976 phone scam. According to William, this is a scam where you call back a number with an area code of 976 and get charged a huge per-minute fee. The longer the scammer keeps the victim on the phone confused and anxious, the more money the scammer gets.
Avoid Being Next
William shared that his mom was scammed out of about $70,000 before it stopped. If it was not for her son’s compassionate and tireless commitment to protect her, it could have been far more. Other popular scams include shopping scams and job opportunity scams. If you are worried that bad actors can access your family members, check out our Screen Safety Toolkit. Our resource guide is perfect for those that need smart tech tools for filtering, monitoring, and management.
Tips to Outsmart the Scammers
Contact your phone carrier and internet service provider to research helpful tools for blocking unwanted and unknown calls, texts, and emails.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Don’t act immediately, take a moment to research the situation and talk to someone who you trust.
Don’t give out personal information like your name, date of birth, social security number, address, or usernames or passwords. Legitimate organizations will not text, call, or email you to obtain private information.
Don’t complete forms from an email link. Instead, go directly to the website of the company you are dealing with and complete the business from there.
Call the company directly to confirm the request was legitimate before you offer information or complete forms. The IRS communicates through US mail, not by telephone or email. Call 800-366-4484 to report IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud.
Be sure to keep up with device updates for security patches, delete unused and unwanted apps, and change your passwords frequently.
Review your credit card statements regularly to catch unauthorized charges and periodically review your credit report.
Consider freezing your social security number for new financial transactions with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion to escape identity theft.
Lastly, Google “scams” or a quote from any communication that may be a scam to learn more about the common scams that may target you.
Scams are no joke. Once you become a victim, serious damage can occur that can take years and years to repair. Check out our other GKIS article Child Identity Theft is on the Rise. Protect Your Family Against Cybercrime, to learn more about how fraudulent purchases made with your private information can change your life
Here are some other related articles offered on our GKIS website for more information on hacking, scamming, malware, and phishing. Learn more about the dangers of online to be prepared for anything that comes your way.
Virtual kidnapping scams are on the rise and, since it is difficult to identify the perpetrator, they are unlikely to go away. Last week a Facebook friend posted about a terrifying telephone scam. She encouraged me to share her story. Be warned, it’s really upsetting, and it’s a true story! It’s worth the read so you won’t fall emotional and financial victim to scammers, phishers, and extortionists.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! He’s got me! He’s got me!”
A mother’s WORST NIGHTMARE, and it happened to me Saturday morning.
I was at home working in my office when my cell phone rang. I picked it up and heard a girl screaming and crying, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! He’s got me! He’s got me!” Then a male voice saying, “Shut the f__ up b___!” The girl’s voice sounded like my daughter who is living away for graduate school.
The world beneath me fell away. I can’t tell you the fear I felt. This VILE man spoke to me in a thick accent telling me what he is going to do to her, and after he’s finished with her he will send her home to me in pieces if I don’t give him money right now.
I kept talking to him on speaker while dialing 911. The dispatcher said, “Stay on the phone, police have been dispatched.” Within minutes a special crime unit arrived.
For the next twenty minutes, I spoke to the “kidnapper” while the police coached my questions and traced the call. I demanded he put her on the phone and text me her picture. He continued to threaten terrible things. Meanwhile, our calls to my daughter went to voicemail, so they sent Arizona police her work.
My husband and other daughter could see my texts, CALL HOME NOW!!!! URGENT!!! and were freaking out. Neighbors told them the police were everywhere, and they couldn’t get through.
Finally she texted after the police located her at work. They checked her apartment and verified it was safe. I broke down crying.
I don’t want ANYONE, EVER to go through what we did! The fear and possible reality were there for me for what seemed like hours! All I have thought about ALL weekend is “These VILE people are putting someone else through this!” Please share this story about the new horrible scam out there.
Source of the Theft
A few days after my friend posted this story, I followed up with her. She informed me that another family from the same university was scammed by the same man minutes after he hung up on her. They were about to wire $7000 before they were able to contact their daughter. This incident made her wonder if the information was gathered from hacked university data. A few weeks later, another Facebook friend posted this one:
Today my parents got a phone call from someone pretending to be my son. He told my dad that he went to the store to get cold medicine with a friend from school who was driving, they got pulled over, and his friend had pot in the car, so he was arrested and now was in jail. He begged my dad not to tell “my mom.”
My dad asked a few questions and was thinking it may be a scam, but he said the person on the phone sounded young, so he wasn’t quite sure. After a few questions, the kid hung up. We’re pretty sure that he would have asked for money to wire or something. My son is safe at school (I checked). But wanted to pass this on to you guys. Maybe this scam has been going around? Obviously, they are targeting older people, and I can see some people falling for it. My dad is pretty sharp, and it still tricked him at first.
Other Scams to Look Out For
Other types of extortion scams involve the perpetrator posing as the IRS or a crime cartel framing you for a false crime that will result in a suspension of your bank accounts, criminal charges, or a threat to you or your family’s safety if you do not send money. For instance, there have been reports of victims on vacation receiving a call in their hotel room stating that they are being targeted by a drug cartel and should turn off their phones to remain safe. While the victim is out of communication, the virtual kidnappers demand money from friends and family.
Another type of scam involves ransomware, which is a virus that infects your computer and encrypts the data. The scammer sends a message threatening to keep your hijacked computer data unless a ransom is received.
To avoid this kind of virus:
learn how to identify typical phishing strategies,
do not click on unknown email links or websites,
install premium security software, and
keep your software updated.
It is also important to backup computer data on a secure cloud-based backup service with revision history. Even legitimate websites can be hacked to spread malware, so awareness and preparation are key.
Here are GetKidsInternetSafe tips to avoid being a victim of virtual kidnapping:
Stay up to date about the scams popular in your area.
Set your social media profiles to private and avoid giving out personal information. Teach your kids to do the same with GetKidsInternetSafe techniques.
Occasionally cleanse your social media profile of photos. A backlog of photos tells a detailed blueprint of your family’s activities and personalities. When viewed by a perpetrator, those details can be used against you.
Keep your telephone landline.
Download GPS location-sharing apps to family member phones, such as Find My iPhone, Find Friends, or Life360.
Create an emergency plan, which includes a list sharing of names and phone numbers of workplace landlines, friends, and extended family. Create and include family nicknames to use in case of a need for emergency telephone identification.
If you get a suspicious call, assess its authenticity. For example, if the call is not from the victim’s telephone and they want you to stay on the phone until the money is delivered, be suspect.
If they are on the victim’s phone, recognize that the phone may have been hacked and forwarded to another phone or lost or stolen. Just because the number shows up as your child’s phone doesn’t necessarily mean the scammer has possession of the phone or the phone’s owner.
Recognize that scammers often ask for money to be wired through services like Western Union or online currency like Bitcoin, as these methods of payment are untraceable.
Stay calm, slow the caller down, and do not share any personal information. Ask them to answer a question only the victim would know. Don’t challenge or argue with the caller. Buy time by saying you are writing down the demand and need time to comply.
Use another device to call the police while on the phone.
Ask questions and, if feasible, demand a call from the victim’s phone or a picture of the victim.
Get to a safe place as soon as possible.
These tips do not constitute legal advice from GetKidsInternetSafe. Although many of these suggestions are offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation website, recognize that nothing outweighs your instincts. Err on the side of caution and seek expert help from your local police department or the FBI.
Kids are the number one target for identity theft due to the chances that the crime won’t be detected until the child reaches adulthood and seeks their first loan. This cybercrime involves the theft and fraudulent use of a child’s personal information (like name, social security number, address, and date of birth) to open lines of credit, take out loans, or access financial accounts. This scary issue is the drive behind developing our Cybersecurity and Red Flags Supplement, a comprehensive tool to detect online scams before the worst can happen. Find out more about cybercrime and what you can do to prevent it with this GKIS article.
Identity Theft
Identity theft can be used for many types of crimes, including:
taking out a loan
buying lines of credit
accessing the victim’s financial accounts
securing a driver’s license or employment or
seeking medical care.
Personal information can be stolen from virtual sources, like screen devices, websites, and email accounts, or in real life (IRL) from skimming information from your ATM card with a special device or stealing it from your home, wallet, trash, or mail.
Who is vulnerable?
Unsuspecting victims can be tricked into revealing private information by phishing scammers. These cybercriminals impersonate legitimate companies asking for passwords and credit information necessary to process a fake change of address form, application for credit, or to avoid an IRS tax lien or fake criminal charges.
Vulnerable populations include young people, the elderly, and immigrants or workers here on a visa.
Why is it important to check for identity theft?
Once discovered, it may take several costly months or even years to get credit and criminal records cleaned up and sorted out. Your child’s financial options may be blocked or delayed when deadlines, like college and employment, are most critical.
Can you imagine dealing with that in your overtasked, underfunded life? There are companies that offer cyber protective services and others that help you clean up the catastrophic results of cybercrime.
The Child Identity Theft Bill
In 2015, I received a phone call from Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin’s office asking for a statement about a Child Identity Theft bill (AB1553) that she is sponsoring. Asm. Irwin served as Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity in Sacramento.
This bill served to “amend the Civil Code to require credit agencies to allow parents or guardians to create a new credit report for a minor child for the purpose of placing a security freeze on the child’s credit. Without a credit report to freeze, protection is difficult.” She was asking for my statement and support and wondering if I knew any child victims of identity theft.
After sending out an inquiry on my GetKidsInternetSafe Facebook page, it didn’t take long before I’d uncovered three victims who were willing to share their stories. Two involved child identity theft for financial cybercrime and the other involved identity theft on social media for cyberbullying. I’m sharing the financial theft stories to demonstrate how easy it is to become a victim and suggest steps you can take to protect your kids starting today.
Megan’s Story
My first respondent was a dad whose stepdaughter had recently graduated from nursing school. When the family went to their credit union in preparation for purchasing a car, they discovered that the stepdaughter’s credit report was pages and pages long with a sub-par (mid 5’s) credit rating.
It turned out that a criminal out of Phoenix had fraudulently opened several lines of credit with her social security number. From Sprint to multiple department stores, the crook had charged a debt of over $60,000. The family filed a police report to start the long process of calling creditors and clearing her name.
Although they had the criminal’s address, they elected not to press formal charges. When I spoke to the stepfather, he did not know whether the criminal was ever charged. He also said they never discovered how or when the fraud started, but it seemed to be a single party that may have gotten her personal information when she applied for a loan for nursing school.
The fraud seemed to stop once the credit agencies were notified, and an alert was placed on her account. Ultimately, it took the family over twenty hours of filing time plus another fifteen hours from a private credit fraud service to get her credit repaired. A year after the discovery, they had finally gotten her credit score back to the 700s with letters from the creditors with apologies. Nightmare!
Jose’s Story
The second identity fraud victim shared a truly tragic tale that has spanned over thirty years. Jose, who is 40 years old now, was 13 years old when he was first contacted by the IRS and told that he owed over $10,000 in back taxes. Despite all efforts to get clear of fraud, he still has issues like denied credit (including a first-time home buyer loan because it looked like he already owned properties) to two court-ordered paternity tests for mistaken-identity child support cases.
Jose also shared a story about being pulled over on an arrest warrant while he was on his way to becoming a priest. The officer said if it turned out he was lying about the fraud, he would arrest him and make him apologize directly to his lieutenant. He responded to the police officer that if HE was correct, the officer would have to go to church and apologize directly to his bishop. He laughed when he said the officer lived up to his promise.
Despite his resilient attitude, Jose has had to change phone numbers and bank accounts, can’t pay anything with checks, and has elected to put all property in his wife’s name. Considering the decades of victimization, he has had to endure, he goes to great lengths to protect his children’s personal information.
What can a parent do to avoid child identity theft?
Protect personal information at home with tools such as a locking mailbox, an in-home safe for storage, and a shredder for the disposal of personal documents.
Install cybersecurity safeguards on-screen media like passcodes and screensavers, firewalls, antivirus and encryption software, and secure passwords.
Educate your children about maintaining privacy and using discretion online. That means cautioning them about disclosing their name, address, school, date of birth, or any other personally identifying information in images (t-shirts with their school logo) or texting or posting. Geotagging on photos and social media should be turned off to hide location.
Setup up filtering and monitoring software and parent protection options like those from our Screen Safety Toolkit to block inappropriate contacts on the Internet and monitor your children’s activities, particularly in chat rooms, social media, texting, and instant messaging.
Teach your children about cybersecurity issues and skills to protect against hacking, phishing, and malware. Good habits include consistently downloading updates for security patches, using strong passwords and changing them often, and not clicking on embedded links or opening attachments from unknown sources.
If you are traveling…
Don’t post pictures that can reveal travel data, like boarding passes, passports, or travel or hotel vouchers. Not only can criminals benefit from knowing the details of your trip, but they may also read personal information from barcodes to steal your identity. The best option, wait until you’re home to post travel photos.
Avoid public WiFi. Hackers can access your private information using a man-in-the-middle attack (MITM). This means the criminal intercepts the link between your device and the server. This breach is like eavesdropping and can result in your private information being accessed and even altered. Malware can even be delivered to your device. A MITM attacker may set up a fake access point named similarly to the public network connection (called an “evil twin”) or engage in “packet sniffing” or “sidejacking,” which means using a tool to capture network traffic at the Ethernet frame level. Simple shoulder surfing at coffee shops or on airplanes can also result in privacy breaches. If you have to use public WiFi, practice situational awareness, and verify the WiFi name with staff at the public site. Avoid online tasks that involve private information like online banking or using private transaction information like date of birth, credit card numbers, tax IDs, or social security numbers. Always log out when using a hotspot to avoid the hacker continuing the session. Consider setting up a secure virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt inbound and outbound data. However, VPNs can decrease your bandwidth. Public WiFi may not be encrypted, but most major websites that use a password, like Amazon and PayPal, have encryption. If the URL has an “S” (for “secure”) at the end, as in HTTPS, then there’s some level of encryption.
Avoid using public computers for the same reasons it’s risky to use public WiFi. The software could be silently running in the background, thus capturing data from your online activities.
If your child is traveling with you, turn off location settings so criminals can’t intercept your location data and use it for targeted attacks. On Snapchat, this is called going “ghost mode.” Of course, if your child is on an independent walkabout, you may want to leave location services on so you can track them for safety.
Freeze your child’s credit.
Contact one of the three major credit card companies to see what kind of protection options they offer, like a credit freeze, which has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective strategies for preventing child identity theft. Each state has laws on how a credit freeze can be done. Remember, once a freeze has been implemented you must order a “thaw” on the account before applying for credit.
Equifax: This website explains what is needed to mail in the request. According to the person I spoke to there is no fee for minors.
Experian: This link explains what is needed to mail in the request. After 3 tries I gave up trying to upload the docs online. I couldn’t reach anybody, so I sent in a check for $10 plus 7.25% tax (Ventura County).
Transunion: I had better luck with Transunion when I called the number 888-909-8872. A polite and helpful representative informed me that neither of my minor children had credit files (a good start). He then offered the procedure necessary to get a free security freeze on my child’s account by mailing a letter with the following information:
Send in 2 pages: 1st page: Cover letter listing the minor info: full name, address, last four of social and file # (rep will give you) plus reason for security freeze (“Proactively protecting my child against fraud) plus requester info (parent): Full name, address, relationship. 2nd page: Official request in letter style format mentioning enclosure copy of minor’s social security card and birth certificate.
GetKidsInternetSafe was created to inform parents about proven preventative strategies before tragedy strikes. To get a head start today, check out my GKIS Connected Family Online Course.
Now is the age your kids are no longer looking to you for online material…they are ready to explore on their own. Don’t think for a second they are incapable of surfing right into trouble. Even if they’re not exploring now, they will soon and you’ll likely be the last to know. Be proactive with your setup rather than reactive. And by the way, if you need to review the GKIS Guidelines for 3-6 year olds, search guidelines on www.GetKidsInternetSafe/blog/. Congratulations for striving to do your best and dealing with this today. Your children’s Internet safety is important and you’re awesome for making it a priority!
GKIS Internet Safety Checklist (Staging)
Check to make sure all cybersecurity measures are online and updated.
At this age, it is reasonable to start a dialogue with your children about technology facts, such as malware, hacking, and phishing. As always, cater the sophistication of the discussion to your children’s developmental phase and interest. Be sure to specifically teach them not to share personal information (name, grade, school, city, etc.) online, nor to open emails with unknown attachments or offers for “free” programs which can make your computer vulnerable to malware.
Malware: any software that will attack or capture data on your computer; these include viruses, worms, Trojan horses (look like beneficial downloads but are actually malicious), spyware, adware, and other malicious programs.
Hacking: unauthorized computer access.
Phishing: a fraudulent attempt, usually through email, to gain personal information. Typically involves posing as a legitimate company or a distressed person in need of help.
Update parental controls on device operating systems, through your Internet service provider (ISP), from selected software programs and routers, and from kid-friendly browsers.
Ensure that you are the administrator on these systems and your children do not have your passwords or credit card information. It is essential that you authorize all system controls and new purchases.
Remember that television is screen media as well. Be sure the parent control features on your televisions block the channels that have mean-spirited, sexual, or violent programming. Co-viewing television and YouTube channels are an excellent way to set a baseline for good taste.
Provide commentary that includes your disapproval of cruel or violent solutions and challenge your children to identify or create prosocial problem-solving alternatives to increase their knowledge and overall resilience.
Update and check your home staging strategies such as screens in visible family areas only (never behind closed doors), timed routers, and family docking stations at night.
Make a list of devices, apps, and games then schedule a weekly check-in to confirm consistent monitoring.
Inform your kids about these checks, even if you don’t tell them the exact dates and times. Maintaining a healthy relationship with trust and respect is critical while you fulfill your parental responsibilities of staying informed.
Do not allow personal ownership of hand-held medias with Internet access smaller than a tablet yet.
Why? Because even if you think you’ll monitor consistently, you probably won’t based on survey statistics. The average age for cell phone ownership is now eight years old; too young in my clinical opinion. But if there’s clear justification for phone ownership that young, at least limit Internet access. Even young children will explore sexual themes and the Internet is not a safe place for sexual education.
Encourage gaming.
Yay! Today you’re the good guy! Video games tend to get a bad rap, but the ones that spur kids to make cities out of virtual blocks, like Minecraft, are great for building spatial and engineering skills, creativity, and online social interaction in a moderated setting. (My kids sometimes play together as cooperative allies and other times sabotaging enemies. It’s really fun to watch them interact and get excited with their creations and accomplishments.)
Make sure you assess game ratings and moderator/reporting features prior to purchase.
If you can’t find your answers online, go to a specialized gaming system store and ask questions.
Remind your children that the first several weeks of game or device ownership are probationary.
In other words, make sure your children understand that if any complications arise, you may choose to temporarily or permanently retire the new item.
Griefing is when a player in a multiplayer video game harasses other players as a gaming strategy. This can take the form of name-calling or actively sabotaging game play (through blocking, destroying or stealing virtual creations and property, or maiming or killing the player for example).Limit whom your children game with and keep checking. At what age are you going to cut them loose to play with the public and under what conditions (headset? text only?)? Hopefully not elementary school age where kids frequently fall victim to cyberbullying.
Trollingis when an individual intentionally provokes discord online by being tangential, argumentative, or inflammatory.
Do not allow Instant Messaging, chat rooms/forums, texting, or emailing with anyone other than adult family members.
Children 7-11 years old simply don’t yet have the complex reasoning abilities necessary to make appropriate choices or anticipate consequences. They’re still impulsive and easily influenced. Don’t overestimate their social reasoning. They still need your supervision and guidance.
Although none of us are perfect parents, our love for and commitment to our children inspire us to constantly grow and be our best. I hope today’s article provides fresh ideas and inspires you to tighten up on the strategies you already have in place. A few minutes of focused effort here and there can really make the difference.
I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetYourKidsInternetSafe.
