FEARS that children with unrestricted access to electronic devices and an internet connection during social isolation could be the targets of paedophiles have prompted authorities and experts to urge parents and carers to be vigilant about online supervision.
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With extensive social restrictions now in place, all of us are spending a lot more time indoors and our internet connections are our social lifeline - including children.
Earlier this week, Superintendent Jenny Wilson urged community members across the region to keep an eye on how children and young people are using electronic devices.
As the rapidly evolving coronavirus pandemic continues to change how we live our lives, Superintendent Wilson said criminals were known to adapt quickly to take advantage of situations and grooming children online was one concern for police.
While there have been no recent reports of online child grooming in this region, Superintendent Wilson said it was important for parents to be proactive about online supervision.
"Just because you've got your children inside, there still needs to be supervision about who they're interacting with and what they're doing," she told The Courier.
"Be cautious about what your children are doing online and make sure you're aware of who your children are engaging with.
"Provide some sort of supervision because unfortunately in these times where there is chaos and concern, there are certain people in the community who take advantage."
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Cyber safety expert Susan McLean, who was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years, said cyber safety was a huge issue during this period of prolonged social isolation, with more children cooped up at home and working parents struggling to keep them entertained.
Known as the 'cyber cop' during her time in the force, Ms McLean was the first Victoria Police officer appointed to a position focusing on cyber safety for young people.
She said the cyber safety advice had not changed, though in what she dubbed "a perfect storm", it was increasingly important now.
"Parents are gatekeepers to a child's online world and online safety," she said.
[Cyber safety] doesn't go out the window because we have COVID-19. It is even more important now than it was ever before.
- Susan McLean
Ms McLean said paedophiles were known to infiltrate apps, games and platforms popular with children and many who may ordinarily have day jobs were now at home too.
While paedophiles grooming children online has always been an issue, Ms McLean said the current situation was serving to exacerbate the problem, with paedophiles exploiting the fact that children are at home around the clock and are using the online world to communicate with their friends.
"[The issue] is certainly significant, it's certainly problematic and it's going to get worse," she said.
According to Ms McLean, parents should never hand over a device unless parental controls are enabled, while young users should also be blocked from downloading apps.
The internet connection should also be filtered and devices should only be used in an area of the house where supervision is easiest - definitely not the child's bedroom.
In addition, she said children under the age of 13 should not have online accounts. In fact, it is specified in the terms and conditions of many social media platforms that it is prohibited.
During the past five years, Ms McLean said evidence revealed that younger children were being groomed by paedophiles, because younger children had access to websites and apps they shouldn't.
She said video sharing platform Tik Tok, House Party and Zoom - all popular choices for kids at the moment - particular concerns for reasons ranging from being a target of paedophiles to being vehicles of cyberbullying.
Ms McLean said if a child is above the age of 13, parents should ensure the apps are only being used in a common area of the house with settings in place for the child's safety.
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Apart from the potential for online grooming, Ms McLean said parents should also be aware of the issue of cyberbullying.
According to the eSafety commissioner, one in five children has been bullied online, while one in five also admit to being the bully online.
Ms McLean said Easter - a time when many parents take time off for the school holidays - was a perfect time to look into a child's online safety and to enact precautionary measures.
She had been preparing to speak about cyber safety in Ballarat in coming weeks, though this has been postponed until the end of the year.
More information about cyber safety can be found on Ms McLean's website - Cyber Safety Solutions - or on the website of the E-safety commissioner.
Report any criminal activity to either Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to Ballarat Police.
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