A parent’s guide to surviving alarming Internet crazes

Internet crazes arrive as quickly as they leave. Some are fun. Some are harmless. Some are hilarious. Some are great at raising awareness for a variety of important issues. Others, however, seem intent on only causing problems.

Crazes like the Momo Challenge or Blue Whale Challenge are some examples of the latter, apparently tailored to alarm parents and exploit social media. These are the modern day equivalents to saying Candyman or Bloody Mary in the mirror of a darkened room. Only they now operate in the frenzied environment of the Internet – an environment that is remarkably proficient at feeding urban legends and proliferating pranks.

It’s important that parents know what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do when this happens. So we’ve written down some helpful tips for parents, or indeed anyone when this sort of thing does occur.

Don’t Panic

It is understandable that a parent’s primary concern is with the welfare of their children, but these types of online urban legends or crazes are only fuelled by panic. On social media, we can hear a thousand concerned voices all at once, and this can create the illusion that the problem is much bigger than it really is.

This in turn so often results in the proliferation of erroneous reporting, exaggerated claims on social media and other content that appears to place emphasis on causing alarm than providing measured advice.

When these Internet crazes occur, the media in particular struggles to find that fine balance between informing parents about concerning online trends, and avoiding helping fuel panic. Inevitably, most err on the side of panic, and instead of acting as reasoned purveyors of sense, they seemingly transform into sensationalist gossipmongers, parroting the most alarming of warnings with breathless block capital headlines and forewarnings of doom, all under the guise of journalism.

This naturally leads to more widespread panic and attention, which in turn fuels the very craze being reported on. Police, schools, agencies duly caution about the craze, and this in turn results in even more panicked media coverage. This encourages pranksters and hoaxers to proliferate the craze, and this once again results in even more media coverage. In computer programming, it’s called a recursive loop – a never ending loop caused by a function that keeps making calls that lead back to itself. It’s a great business model for the media. But not so much for anyone else.

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So don’t share content that fuels, perpetuates or mythologises a craze

With recent examples like the Momo Challenge, it was lurid media headlines that were arguably the most prolific source of bad information, but exaggerated and unverified social media claims shared by concerned parents that also mythologised the craze also played a part – and it was these types of viral content that children were perhaps most likely to encounter.

Ultimately, the more panicked we become, and the more exaggerated or inaccurate claims and headlines get strewn across the Internet, the more widespread and confused the problem becomes.

Of course it is natural for parents to want to learn more about what is going on, but try and aim for content that seems more measured and responsible in its approach, and avoid content that seems to place an emphasis on “trigger” words and panicking readers.

Use a general, common sense approach to Internet safety

Crazes like Blue Whale and Momo can serve as timely reminders that the Internet is a potentially dangerous place for both young and vulnerable minds. It is important for parents to implement common sense advice in their approach to online safety – approaches that can be effective against any type of Internet craze, regardless of how alarming it may appear. This way, parents and children can be protected not only against whatever alarming trend is spreading in the present, but also against its inevitable successors in the future.

When determining your approach, a few things to consider can include –

Keep dialogue with your children open and honest. Perhaps one of the best defenses a parent has is to help educate their children about the basics of Internet safety and to keep communication open whenever they see or hear something that worries them. Teach children to never talk to strangers or to give away their personal information to anyone online; but also encourage them to share their online (or offline) experiences with you, especially if they’re frightened or worried.

Familiarise yourself with your kids favourite websites, apps and games. This allows a parent to become familiar with the content as well as the parental control options. For example, many online video games may allow players to communicate with each other, though this can often be limited to approved friends only or switched off entirely. Additionally YouTube has parental control options that are suitable for younger and older children.

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Consider blocking access to certain platforms for younger children. YouTube, for instance, is geared towards adult, not children. It may prohibit certain adult content like nudity, but there is plenty of other adult content that is allowed that is inappropriate for younger children, including violence, sexual references and profanity, as well as videos designed to scare the viewer. Additionally certain video games will come with age ratings, so make sure your children don’t play games or use apps that are too old for them.

Supervise younger children. If younger children are allowed on platforms where they could potentially be exposed to adult content, make sure they are supervised at all times so if they do stumble on adult content, the parent can intervene. If supervision isn’t possible, consider using a different, safer platform.

Don’t allow devices to bed. Consider restricting access to Internet-enabled devices like phones or tablets at bedtime.

Err to premium platforms that are closely monitored. Netflix for Kids, for example, is a great platform that isn’t likely to be transmitting content that is inappropriate for children.

The Internet is always evolving so fast, it may seem like a struggle to keep up. But it is important for parents to have an active interest in what their children do online, as well as the willingness to learn about what apps, sites and games they use. This, coupled with following common sense advice to online safety and good communication between parent and child is really the best defense against the next alarming Internet craze, whatever that may be.