Momo. Hoax or not, scary things happen online.

March 02, 2019

The news is full of stories about Momo and other scary things our kids are exposed to online. Many stories say this is a hoax. YouTube has said this would be against their rules. It doesn't really matter if this started as a hoax or if it's against the rules. The fact is that our kids are exposed to things online.

Our kids do see inappropriate things

I recently saw a preschool aged child for a well visit. During the visit it came up that the child had been exposed to Momo online. When the mother learned that the child saw scary Momo videos, she came up with a great plan. They took images of Momo and transformed her into funny faces, much like what I did for the image above.

I think this mother's idea is great. She took a character that was scary to her child and made it funny. She used the opportunity to talk to her child. It became a great teaching moment.

Our kids can never "un-see" what they've seen, but we can help them to not view it as so scary. If you are unable to do this alone, talk to your pediatrician or a therapist.

We know that traumas impact a child's development. They can develop significant anxieties and suffer if things are not quickly and adequately addressed.

When things happen we need to find ways to help our kids process them. If your child's mood or behavior suddenly changes, it is quite possible that they have experienced a traumatic event of some sort. If they won't talk to you, seek professional help.

What can we do to prevent online exposures?

We can't stop all exposures, but we can do many things to help protect our kids. This includes monitoring software, anti-virus software, and teaching our kids how to behave responsibly and safely.

Increasing responsibility

Our kids will be online, whether it's at home or at school or at a friend's house. They are growing up with the world at their fingertips through the internet, so we must teach them to use it wisely.

Like in other benefits and responsibilities of growing up, our kids should have fewer limits and less monitoring as they show maturity. We cannot expect them to be responsible online at 18 years of age if they never practice with supervision along the way.

Give your kids age-appropriate allowances for games, videos, and other online experiences. I love to use Common Sense Media to learn about movies, games, and other media.

Set up parental controls.

Research parental control software. It's easy to search "parental control apps" or "parental control software reviews" to find the pros and cons to various brands.

One of my favorite sites that exposes safety concerns has a great post for parents: 5 tips for setting up your child's device for safety from a tech mom.

Choosing the best for your family is not easy, but read several reviews to find what is best for your family's needs.

Adult supervision and guidance

If our kids are playing outside, they will have close supervision when they're young, less as they get older.

Online use should be no different.

Your 3-4 year old should not go to the park alone and they shouldn't go online alone. If they are online, project the screen to the television so you can watch along or sit with them and play along with them. They should not be online when you are busy doing something else. It is not a safe babysitter.

As kids get older and can understand how to navigate the internet more safely, they can have less and less direct supervision. This does not mean they can have a free for all. Parents can still help them choose age-appropriate sites and have software to keep blocked sites from being accessible.

You can't just avoid online use

Several parents over the years have tried to end the conversation when I bring up social media safety by saying, "we don't allow any of that."

It is not sufficient to simply not allow any social media. Our kids and teens will come across it, whether it's their own account or a friends.

What things did you do as a teen that your parent didn't know about? It's even easier for kids to hide social media accounts than it is for them to do many of the things we used to do as kids.

As kids grow

Talk to older kids and teens about why pornography sites are harmful.

Have discussions about oversharing. Predators look for ways to identify where kids hang out. Kids shouldn't give a team name or mention that their soccer game is tomorrow morning at 9. That innocent information can help a predator find them. Even photos with identifying information, like a school shirt or team jersey, can be risky if shared publicly.

Kids sometimes get tricked into sharing photos that are inappropriate. This includes pornographic images as well as snapshots identifying where to find them.

Talk about their digital footprint. Schools and employers will look at your child's online history. It needs to be positive and what they post today will be there forever.

Teach kids basic right and wrong

We cannot protect our kids from everything, but we can teach them to be good decision makers.

Use real life examples and daily experiences to help your kids learn to make safe choices. Let them accept more responsibility and make more choices as they get older. Allow them to make the wrong choice sometimes. They'll learn from these little mistakes much more than they would if you refuse to let them do that little mistake. This helps to prepare them to make the right choice with the riskier options as they grow.

For example, if your middle school child wants to stay up late to watch a movie but you know he has an early soccer game, discuss the situation with him. Let him make up his own mind in the end - without being judgmental. If he struggles getting out of bed and disappoints his teammates because he's too tired, is that really the worst thing in the world? I bet the next week he won't beg to stay up late so much. Just don't play the "I told you so" game or give attitude about it. That will make him mad at you.

Let kids learn from their own mistakes without discussion or lecture. Kids learn from things like this if we let them. Trust me, there are lots of opportunities for them to learn to make safe, responsible choices as they grow.

In the end, if our kids want to find an inappropriate site or do something they're not supposed to do, they will. If they use good judgement and make safe choices in other aspects of life, they are more likely to do so online too.

Be vigilant

It's not just Momo... Even if she started as a hoax, we DO need to talk to our kids about risks online.

We need to keep up with online challenges and apps.

Follow your kids on their social sites. Talk about what sites they can and cannot use, but remember that it is easy for them to set up hidden accounts. That's why it's so important to talk to your kids and let them make their own choices as they grow. If you don't allow options and never let them fail, they will not learn. The more you restrict them, the more they'll hide from you.

Keep track of the time your child spends online. Go to your app store and search “time on phone tracker” or check out these popular apps that track time:

For more:

In addition to the many links above, these articles are highly recommended:

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