Watch Out for These 5 Online Threats That Put Your Teens at Risk

(Photo : Unsplash)

In our modern and technological world today, we are always on our phones. Gadgets and other electronics have become a necessity in one's life. Way back, it was only adults who had cellphones and computers. But today, even children have the latest model of smartphones. Most especially teenagers.

The internet has become an outlet for many people, especially young adults and teenagers. Social media apps and other platforms are increasing every day. Teenagers use these to learn, communicate, and share information.

However, the internet is not all rainbows and butterflies. The internet, especially the web, has it's downsides. There are hackers and other cybercriminals leeching into different social media apps and platforms that might pose threats to your teenagers. If you are not familiar with these online threats, here are a few of them:

• Cyberbullying. This is the most common type of online threat that is popular among many, especially teenagers. As parents, we are all aware of bullies and bullying and this usually happens at school. Now that we have the internet, these bullying issues that they once encountered in school are now extended to different social media platforms. Cyberbullying is any text, email, social media post, or instant message that could cause a great deal of stress in your teenager's life. Also, parents should be aware that cyberbullying effects can lead to suicide. 

• Pornography. Early exposure and influence of pornography may have a life-long impact on your teenager's view in life and relationships. Even if you brought them up to dream of a healthy and loving form of relationship, it can be changed when they are exposed to pornography. This may lead to a confusion of a teenager's view and understanding towards romantic and personal relationships.

• Sexting. Just like pornography, this can also have a huge impact on your teenager's view of life, and the proper way of living. Whether it's them who are sending such sexual text or they are the ones receiving it, as a parent, you should be alarmed about this. Swapping of nude photos and videos or sending intimate and sexual texts to other people may ruin your teenager's reputation or worse, it may lead to charges and cases such as child pornography.

• Online predators. Online predators are those who search for vulnerable people on the internet, and they have really bad intentions. They most likely connect to random people especially potential victims. They are all over the internet, most usually on social media platforms. Most online predators seek victims for sexual exploitation, human trafficking, or financial manipulation. Now that the internet is upgrading, online predators are growing in numbers.

• Identity theft. This type of online threat is also connected to online predators. In fact, this is one tactic that online predators tend to utilize the most. These types of people steal photos and content of another person without giving them credit. Cybercriminals and predators like to take not only a person's personal photo, but also target credit card and bank information, addresses, transactions, and even personal information. This is a threat to teenagers because it may lead to rejection in the future if they do transactions such as applying for student loans, getting a job, or buying assets.