TikTok to Host Internet Safety Workshops
TikTok has a staggering one billion users, making it one of the new giants of social media. However, a third are aged between 10 and 19. This is worrying since 69% of teens regularly receive messages from strangers and often aren't equipped to protect themselves online. That's why TikTok has decided to take its fair share of responsibility and teach its users about online safety.
Keeping Your Family Safe
Many parents worry about the safety of their children online. However, they may not feel comfortable enough with technology to do anything about it. Fortunately, these tech skills aren't difficult to learn, and it's easy to find a professional who can help. Contact a local IT specialist to help you set up safeguards on your children's devices.
UK-based parents can seek IT support London services while those in other countries can no doubt find a similar service in their area. The more you know about internet safety, the more knowledge you can pass on to your children. They will then grow up with the skills they need to safely browse the internet, use apps, and have fun without the fear of being contacted by malicious users.
Safe Internet, Safe You
TikTok, along with the Youth Policy Forum, has launched a four-month campaign called 'Safe Internet, Safe You'. This will involve a series of workshops held online that teach the basics of internet safety for anyone who wants to learn. These cover topics like cyberbullying, phishing, and scams.
These lessons in digital literacy are made fun using quizzes and interactive activities. They can be attended by children, teenagers, or parents and come with user-friendly explanations of TikTok's safety policies. Hopefully, this will spark a wider conversation about staying safe online and encourage children to talk to their parents about it.
Cyberbullying Today
Bullying has always existed and is a particular problem for young people. With the rise of the internet, it only became increasingly easy for bullies to find and target their victims. With kids using the internet at a younger and younger age, there's good reason to be concerned. According to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), 50% of young people will experience at least one instance of cyberbullying in their lifetime.
Since the Covid lockdown began, cyberbullying began to rise, with bullying and hate speech seeing an alarming 70% increase within a single month. It's now become the number one safety concern of teachers and parents. Fortunately, tech companies are taking responsibility and starting to take the necessary steps to reverse this trend.
TikTok has emerged as the future of social media. While Facebook and Instagram fade into the background, the younger generation is turning to TikTok. Unfortunately, dangerous actors know this and are specifically targeting the app in the hopes of finding vulnerable users to victimize. It's good to know that TikTok is taking responsibility for the safety of its users and offering them an education on staying safe online.
(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)
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