Review by Chadsby -- Are Your Kids Naked Online?
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Chadsby
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- Joined: 26 May 2018, 02:40
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Review by Chadsby -- Are Your Kids Naked Online?
[Following is a volunteer review of "Are Your Kids Naked Online?" by Chris Good and Lisa Good.]
Moore’s Law loosely states that advancements in technology double every two years. Such swift progress has meant that in the last ten years, we have been able to receive goods from halfway around the world in less than 24 hours, binge visual content such as film and television from pretty much any device, and, with just a few taps, we can speak to anyone, anywhere. But all of this comes with a cost.
In their eye-opening book, Are Your Kids Naked Online? Chris and Lisa Good explore the consequences that these unbridled technological advances have on the first generations of children who know nothing of a world without smart phones and the Internet. The Goods use their expertise and experience as cyber-security advisors to help parents, whether technologically inept or technologically advanced, understand what their children are doing online, highlighting some of the scarier aspects of such a life. The authors also provide helpful suggestions at the end of each chapter on how to create a discourse with one’s children around these topics to ensure that they are as safe as possible.
At first, this book may seem like a 200 page exercise in fear-mongering. The authors often provide anecdotal evidence and worst-case scenarios in order to make the Internet seem like this awful place that will turn your children into sex-slaves for some sadistic older person posing as a teenager to entrap them. But, as you read on, you come to realise that this is now the reality we live in and, as parents, you need to be aware that online sexual grooming is a real thing, and that cyber-bullying is prevalent in many (if not all) children’s lives.
The book is superbly written, with clear, concise sentences and a noticeable lack of jargon -and where there is jargon, it is shortly followed by a definition. This is the perfect companion for any parent who wants to find out what they can do to help their child through life as they spend more of it online. The authors are sensible, providing advice that is neither too despotic nor too lackadaisical. It recognises that you as a parent have a responsibility to protect your children, even if that means employing the old authoritarian, “Do as I say, or else”. But equally, they recognise that children are smarter than they used to be, and so compromise, reasoning, and mutual agreement may, in some circumstances, be more effective.
As a Millennial, I did not think I would learn a lot from this book. Having grown up both without and then with the Internet, I pride myself on my cross-generational knowledge. However, I did not know about things like secret dating apps (apps which have icons that mimic commonplace apps such as the calculator app, but are actually apps to organise dates with complete strangers). The statistics on cyber-bullying, revenge porn, and sexual grooming sent a shiver down my spine. Though this book is aimed primarily at parents, it is definitely a necessary read for everyone, whether you classify yourself as a techspert or tech-illiterate.
I give this book 3/4 stars. It’s clever, it’s insightful, and it’s a great way to begin your journey into discovering what your children do online. However, it does paint the Internet and technology in an extremely negative light. The authors seem skewed and frightened of the Internet, treating it as something to be avoided, instead of something to be used with great caution.
Are Your Kids Naked Online? is a great starting place to help you acclimatise to the online world, but it is not the end of your journey. It is imperative that you keep active and not only read and implement what others are doing, but do your own research. There is no quick and easy guide to Internet safety, but this will definitely help in the on-going struggle to keep your children safe online.
******
Are Your Kids Naked Online?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Moore’s Law loosely states that advancements in technology double every two years. Such swift progress has meant that in the last ten years, we have been able to receive goods from halfway around the world in less than 24 hours, binge visual content such as film and television from pretty much any device, and, with just a few taps, we can speak to anyone, anywhere. But all of this comes with a cost.
In their eye-opening book, Are Your Kids Naked Online? Chris and Lisa Good explore the consequences that these unbridled technological advances have on the first generations of children who know nothing of a world without smart phones and the Internet. The Goods use their expertise and experience as cyber-security advisors to help parents, whether technologically inept or technologically advanced, understand what their children are doing online, highlighting some of the scarier aspects of such a life. The authors also provide helpful suggestions at the end of each chapter on how to create a discourse with one’s children around these topics to ensure that they are as safe as possible.
At first, this book may seem like a 200 page exercise in fear-mongering. The authors often provide anecdotal evidence and worst-case scenarios in order to make the Internet seem like this awful place that will turn your children into sex-slaves for some sadistic older person posing as a teenager to entrap them. But, as you read on, you come to realise that this is now the reality we live in and, as parents, you need to be aware that online sexual grooming is a real thing, and that cyber-bullying is prevalent in many (if not all) children’s lives.
The book is superbly written, with clear, concise sentences and a noticeable lack of jargon -and where there is jargon, it is shortly followed by a definition. This is the perfect companion for any parent who wants to find out what they can do to help their child through life as they spend more of it online. The authors are sensible, providing advice that is neither too despotic nor too lackadaisical. It recognises that you as a parent have a responsibility to protect your children, even if that means employing the old authoritarian, “Do as I say, or else”. But equally, they recognise that children are smarter than they used to be, and so compromise, reasoning, and mutual agreement may, in some circumstances, be more effective.
As a Millennial, I did not think I would learn a lot from this book. Having grown up both without and then with the Internet, I pride myself on my cross-generational knowledge. However, I did not know about things like secret dating apps (apps which have icons that mimic commonplace apps such as the calculator app, but are actually apps to organise dates with complete strangers). The statistics on cyber-bullying, revenge porn, and sexual grooming sent a shiver down my spine. Though this book is aimed primarily at parents, it is definitely a necessary read for everyone, whether you classify yourself as a techspert or tech-illiterate.
I give this book 3/4 stars. It’s clever, it’s insightful, and it’s a great way to begin your journey into discovering what your children do online. However, it does paint the Internet and technology in an extremely negative light. The authors seem skewed and frightened of the Internet, treating it as something to be avoided, instead of something to be used with great caution.
Are Your Kids Naked Online? is a great starting place to help you acclimatise to the online world, but it is not the end of your journey. It is imperative that you keep active and not only read and implement what others are doing, but do your own research. There is no quick and easy guide to Internet safety, but this will definitely help in the on-going struggle to keep your children safe online.
******
Are Your Kids Naked Online?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Survival of the Richest by Dr. Anthony M. Criniti IV
