COVID19 Producing An Insidious Health Crisis For Our Children

The Internet: Are Children In Charge?

LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA, May 2, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Police are warning parents globally that in dark corners of the internet, sexual predators are talking among themselves regarding children being home 24/7, and the ease with which they can take advantage of the COVID19 isolation. This applies to every country in the world.

Charlene Doak-Gebauer, a global speaker and author, has great concern for our children as this COVID19 crisis continues. She is alerting parents to the ongoing dangers that are mushrooming because predation is growing daily. Many parents lack the knowledge of the extent of predator involvement with children on games, YouTube, social media, and need to listen to this author.

“I am so worried about my children and the family because of COVID19. But now, I am beginning to realize, they are online excessively. My son just punched a wall and I have no idea why. I also found pictures of him nude on our computer”, said a parent of a 13-year-old child. This type of situation is becoming a common type of issue in homes as this global pandemic continues. And, where did the child send the nude pictures??

How are children going to cope? Parents are becoming increasingly afraid of COVID19, their means of income, and worried about the future. Our children are scared. With fear of illness and possible death, comes other emotions. Doak-Gebauer, warns this situation can be a “virtual buffet” for predation. During isolation, children are online more than before COVID19. Parents are asking themselves - What do we do to protect our children? How can we supervise them?

Doak-Gebauer, a computer and network specialist in education with 25 years as an educator and global speaker, has developed a Theory of Digital Supervision for supervising children while they are on digital devices. It is written in user-friendly language for all to understand and apply. Her newest release “The Internet: Are Children In Charge?” provides parents, caregivers and professional allies with the knowledge and tools they need to supervise digitally. This book is available on Amazon and through 40,000 distribution channels worldwide.

Doak-Gebauer warns that not only are unknowns a problem, peer victimizers can escalate the dilemma. Peer victimizers can, either alone or in a virtual group, be bullying for nudes, issuing threats or hate comments, requesting inappropriate videos, and other issues. These situations will join the pandemic to escalate the developing crisis for children and families.

Without Digital Supervision, how will parents know if their child is a bully or a victim? Wanting to commit suicide?

Doak-Gebauer cautions adults that often children are being given too much ownership for their decisions, particularly online. “An eight-year old has little choice as to what to have for dinner, and yet they are supposed to make the right choices while communicating online. They lack the life skills and maturity to do so effectively.”

This pandemic crisis and the possible long-term effects of online negative experiences, has given Doak-Gebauer an even greater determination to help parents and caregivers in their challenges to protect children online.

During this challenging time, Doak-Gebauer says, we have to be mindful that our children are often silent victims of the Internet, and their parents can be unaware. Children are afraid of being “villainized” because of their activities online and therefore, will rarely share negative experiences. Charlene explains, “We have to be patient with children when we become alert to their possible “poor” choices on digital devices. Dangerous choices can be caused by their naivety regarding the true dangers lurking behind a screen”.

“The Internet: Are Children In Charge?” is an excellent resource for parents, grandparents, caregivers and professional allies during this crisis and after. While in self-isolation, the author suggests it is an opportunity to learn how to digitally supervise children for online protection.

Doak-Gebauer’s AICET Council is international, comprised of Canadian and American speakers. Members on the AICET Council contribute their expertise regarding the three parts of Digital Supervision. When the pandemic is finished, the AICET Council will be available for half- or full-day conferences for various organizations, school boards, corporations, religious organizations, and more. If a full-day conference is attended, the attendees are eligible for a Certificate of Completion For Digital Supervision Training. For shorter presentations, Charlene presents alone or contributes to various conferences, educating about her Theory of Digital Supervision. Additional information is on the InternetSenseFirst.com charity website.

Charlene Doak-Gebauer
Internet Sense First | AICET Council
+1 519-854-1249
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