14 DAY TRIAL // A report released by the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENSA) shows the top emerging risks that threaten youths in the online environment and issues recommendations on how to mitigate them.
Since the internet takes an important role in the lives of younger generations, occupying most of their time, the risks that come with these practices increases proportionally.
“Our children run the risk of becoming victims of online grooming and cyber bullying; therefore actions are needed to protect teenagers’ cyber activities,” says the Executive Director of ENISA, Prof. Udo Helmbrecht.
The 75-page report details how cyber bullying and grooming, especially in the cases where it leads to abuse, can affect the lives of children both physically and on an intellectual level.
ENSA advises member states to make sure their law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources for addressing these situations. They believe that social networks should also get more involved in the matter since they can interact on another level with the potential victims, informing them on the risks and advising them on how to prevent the phenomenon.
The legal guardians and the educators need to better understand the technologies used by the youths in order to fully comprehend the threats that may come from behind a screen. For some it might be difficult to get in line with the advancements, but this is highly necessary.
For teenagers, it's recommended to make use of the specialized security settings offered by most product vendors. Age-oriented control mechanisms and features that allow for the deactivation of all active online components are also recommended.
Finally, the report details the major risks for teenagers which include physical and mental health loss, the intentional or unintentional publishing of sensitive information on the internet, imbalance between technical and social skills, discrimination and the misuse of personal data.