AMMAN — With easy
access to various social networking sites, Jordanian youngsters are prone to
dangers posed by the internet, educational experts cautioned, calling on
parents to practice more control over their children, and raise their awareness
on the negative aspects of some applications.
اضافة اعلان
A recent study
showed that there is 4.5 million
TikTok accounts active in Jordan, with most users being in the age group of 18–24.
“The desire to be
liked and accepted is what all this generation is thinking about, and is
driving kids into engaging with these dangerous challenges,” said Nabil
Hanatqa, an educational expert.
He told
Jordan
News that the main awareness role is the “parent’s responsibility, starting
at setting boundaries on internet usage, and keeping an eye on what kind of
content their kids are watching”.
“Watching your
children’s behavior is really important to prevent them from engaging in
dangerous activites,” he said.
“Shaping a child’s
personality and enhancing his confidence is also a solution to not let him fall
victims for social media, and feel the urge to be liked and admired by others
outside the household”, he pointed out.
“If the child is
confident, loved, and supported in the house, this would reflect on his entire
life,” he said.
Parents, it seems,
believe that the school has an equally important role in educating children and
raising their awareness, he argued.
Alaa, a mother of
three children with the oldest being 11 years old, said that talking to
children and communicating with them “is the key to know everything about your
child, without invading their privacy”.
But she added that
it is also the responsibility “of each educational institution to watch the
kids carefully, and communicate with the parents about any suspicious
behavior”.
“We do not get to
watch our kids 24/7, so it is the schools’ responsibility as well to guide the
kids, as much the parents do, to prevent any harm from befalling on them”, she
said.
Ahmad Abu Salah, a
father of two, told
Jordan News that raising children’s awareness is a
“shared responsibility of parents, the school, and the Ministry of Education”.
“Parents should do
their part in terms of raising and educating their children, as well as talking
with them constantly,” he said.
“But there is also a great responsibility on the school and
the ministry, as awareness lectures must be held from time to time about the
dangers of social networking sites, and the challenges and the impact of
dangerous games,” he added.
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