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29 March 2024

'Internet is devil in our lives'

Teenagers’ lack of awareness while browsing the internet can lead to serious crimes. (FILE)

Published
By Muna Ahmed

Teenagers’ lack of awareness while browsing the internet can lead to serious crimes including kidnapping and abuse, police and educators warn.

Brigadier Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Director of Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police, has urged parents to tighten monitoring of their children’s internet browsing, whether through mobile phones, PSPs or DSs.

“If parents or teenagers come across websites that they think pose risks to their children, then they should immediately inform the CID and they will take actions against these websites,” said Brigadier Al Mansoori.

“We have closed many websites in the past after receiving complaints from families.”

A principal at a Dubai government high school has also warned parents to monitor teenagers aged between 13 and 17 years and prevent them from posting personal details online.

“Teens aged between 13 to 17 years face the most critical stage of their lives. If they pass this stage safely, then the majority of them will not face any problems in their future,” the principal said.

“The problem with teenagers is that they try to prove themselves by putting their personal details and pictures on the net.

“They are not aware of the problems this can lead to in the future. I advise parent to try to make them aware of these risks.”

The principal said the main problems occurred at home and in internet cafes rather than at school and teenagers were now able to easily break through proxies and access banned web sites. He also pointed out that the most problematic websites were those offering chat services.

“In the beginning, the relationships on most of these sites start as good friendships, but later on they can turn into trouble,” the principal said.
According to the principal, parents are the key players in prevention.

“They should keep an eye on their kids and try to find out which sites they access, and what are they being exposed to. Today, the internet seduces many teens with lots of things, and unfortunately, the majority of them are attracted by the wrong things,” he said.

“Parents who don’t know how to use the internet must attend some workshops to learn how to access and use the Internet. Currently, the Internet has become so important in our lives that we cannot live without it. Parents cannot stop the Internet at home as their kids will need it for school research. But they can control the access to it, and keep an eye on what it is being used for.”

Ali Mallalah, Principal of Al Safa High School in Dubai, said in the past five to 10 years, teenagers’ attitudes and personalities had changed dramatically.

“Now many teenagers are shameless. They know things that their parents and teachers do not know. The way they behave at school with their classmates and their teachers has changed,” he said.

Mallalah added that a large number of teens think the main purpose of the internet is to get to know about bad things.

“Teenagers are not aware of many things. They can easily disclose their personal details as well as things about their families to strangers on the Internet. This exposes them and their families as well to many risks.”

Dr Amer Saadeddin, Specialist Psychiatrist at Dubai Community Health Centre, described the internet as “a devil in our lives that we cannot live without”.

“The internet can lead teenagers to many problems as they lack awareness and are more prone to fall into troubles. This is mainly because teenagers lack the experience, and they believe that they know everything but are being controlled by their families,” said Dr Saadeddin.

“They don’t know whom they are chatting with, and they trust their internet friends easily. This can put them in situations such as being kidnapped or abused. They lack experience, and many of them use their real address and telephone number. They also inform their friends when their parents go out, which is a serious problem.”

Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate, said: “Parents do worry about predators, but they seem to be overlooking more common threats, such as cyber-bullying. And more than half of all families are putting themselves at risk through children’s unchecked downloading behaviour.”

“Technology is part of the solution, but a lot of it is about good parenting. The most effective way to help keep your children safe online is to have an ongoing dialogue with them. There’s so much we can do to make sure our children have a positive experience online.” ©