Across the world, gambling and online gaming have been made illegal for children, especially if they are under 18 years. Free internet access can lead to children engaging in online gambling. Therefore, parents are supposed to be on the lookout for how their children use the internet. Over the years, recent research by onlinecasinoaustralia.online Australian online casino portal, has been done showing that 60 to 90% of young people are involved in gambling online.
These numbers are 2 to 4 times higher than the rate at which adults are engaged in playing online casinos for real money.
Below are some tips on how to protect from real money online gambling.
#1. Communication is Important
Parents should create an environment where they communicate freely with their children. Please get to know what they are dealing with, what their thoughts are concerning online gambling. Be able to explain to them how they will understand you, using the language they understand better. Let your child or children know that there is always help for anyone that has undergone cyberbullying.
Talk to your child or children, telling them some of the dangers that can arise from using the internet unsupervised. Your child should feel safe knowing that you will help them overcome whatever they are going through. It would be best if you also shared with them the red flags to look for so that they know what it means and how to react when anything happens.
#2. Have the Tough Talks
Talking to children about certain things can be difficult. With the availability of mobile phones, children can easily access the internet as young as two years old! It could be that they are only watching cartoons and other childish stuff. However, remember the internet has also become the hunting grounds for thousands of ugly predators. They are always looking for innocent children they can easily lure into doing nasty things.
As apparent, you should be ready to have tough conversations with your child or children. Teach them how to spot these predators and what they are looking for and explain how they lure kids into their nets. Make your children understand that having unsupervised personal communications with these virtual ‘friends’ is dangerous. Create an environment where your kids know that they can discuss with you issues that make them uncomfortable.
#3. Keep it Age-Appropriate
Sometimes your kids will come up to you asking for your phone or tablet to watch cartoon online. Of course, you will give it to them, but do you trust that they will stick to the carton platform or wander off? For example, recently, my four-year-old daughter asked me for my phone to look at some pictures we took together. After two minutes of silence, I sneaked behind her only to find that she was on youtube watching Cocomelon.
If you are letting your kids use the internet, for example, make sure to set a timer and the age limit. Doing this will limit the type of content they can see and how long they can stay online. However, do not trust the kids’ platform entirely until you see and approve of the kind of content they have for children. Some children sites will indicate their contents are for kids, but the appropriateness of their content is worrying.
#4. Limit Information Sharing
Children are funny and adorable creatures because of so many reasons, one of them being they don’t know how to hold back. Ask a child what happened where they went, and they will give you very detailed information or every event. Similarly, teach your kids that it is not safe to share certain information on the internet. Let them know of the risk involved in putting all their personal information on the net.
Teach them that information such as where they go to school, where they live, and their photos should not be shared on gaming sites. It is safe to explain to them who a scammer is and what they do. With this information, they will know that anyone can use the information they upload on the gaming site to scam them.
#5. Understand the Game’s Environment
As a parent, you will do anything to ensure your kid does not get involved with a bad company or criminal activities. It would be best if you did the same when it comes to online gaming. Do not let them explore the gaming site alone. Instead, accompany them and make them understand what happens on online gaming sites.
The online gaming environment can create a breeding space for a flawed character. Children can be forced to participate in daring activities which involves virtual gang activities like stealing, self-harm, sex offences and murder. As a parent, you should check the site and see if the interaction between gamers and the violence levels is sane. Doing the survey will make your child honest with you and share anything that makes them uncomfortable on the site.
#6. Let Your Kids Know that Gaming Friends are Strangers in Real World
In online gaming, gamers can easily interact with each other, which can breed a way to lure primitive players. Online predators can easily use this technique as they can easily disguise themselves as someone else. This kind of communication can create inappropriate friendships. These friendships can, in turn, influence your kids in a negative way.
Make your kids understand that online friends are still considered strangers in real life. Let them know that it is not safe to become so attached to gamers they meet online as they do not know their real identity.
#7. Don’t assume because you are not online
Living in a home without the internet or giving your phone to your kids without the internet shut doesn’t mean you should not talk about online safety. You may assume that you do not have internet; therefore, your kids will not play online games. However, children can easily access the internet from a friend’s house or using a friend’s phone.
Warn your children of the risks they face accessing the internet unsupervised, no matter how persuasive it may be. Teach them that there are some things they can access through the internet, but they should know the limit to reach.
#8. Check the Browsing History
Children can be naughty and secretive a times. Your child may be into online gambling, but they are trying to keep it a secret from you. A more promising way to know if your child is into online gambling is by checking their search history. Doing this will give a picture and an idea of what your kids do when they are alone.
Conclusion
Keeping children from the internet can be a challenging task, but with the right help, you can easily manage. View the kinds of apps your children have installed on their phones or your phone. This will give you an insight into what they are up to when they are alone. Limiting screen time for your children can also help a great deal. Some apps can help you limit their times by automatically shutting the internet or closing what they are doing.