Cyber Safety for Girls: Empowering Young Women in 21st century

Cyber Safety is the talk of the town in current digital world. In this 21st century, Internet has been the biggest boon and curse for an individual. Internet is a vast network of interconnected computers and devices that allows for the exchange of information and communication across the globe.

The internet has a profound impact on society, education, healthcare and entertainment. However, the internet also poses challenges including digital divides, cyber security, threats and online harassment.

Cybercrime refers to unusual activities that are carried using Internet. These crimes cause computer system and networks to commit fraud, theft, harassment or other illegal activities. Cybercrime is a global event which hampers the privacy and security of an individual. Young girls and women are often the soft targets. A number of women are becoming victims of cyber crimes.

According to recent studies and researches, women are known to use the internet to show off their relationship, lifestyle which leads to misbehaviors online. Cyber violence affects the life of an individual tremendously and has many forms.

Some of the risks that women and young girls face online are:

Cyber Safety : Bullying and Online Harassment

Women are the foremost target by cyber bullies and online predators, passing them negative comments,, threats and stalking on social media. Cyber bullying can have a destructive effect on women’s mental health, self-esteem and safety.

Revenge porn

Revenge porn refers to sharing intimate images and videos of women online by their partners and often by their peers. This can lead to reputation damage, mental health issues and even physically harm them.

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Cyber stalking

Cyber stalking is unwanted monitoring, stalking and harassing women online by using their personal information, location, transaction. Cyber stalkers use social networking sites to intimidate their victims.

Identity Theft and Online Fraud

Cybercriminals steal personal information of women and make fake accounts to steal their bank details or credit card details. Young women often over share personal information online such as full name, address, phone number.

This information can cause identity theft. Social media platforms and apps frequently update their privacy policies for the sake of women’s safety. Women should be careful enough about accepting friend requests and messages from strangers and avoid sharing sensitive information.

Online Predators

Online predators target young girls with the intent for grooming them for sexual exploitation, trafficking or other forms of abuse. Girls should be careful enough while interacting with strangers online.

Picture Morphing

Morphing the face of the person to the body of another and uploading on social networking sites is one of the cyber crime deen especially against women. Women should be aware about the privacy setting while posting pictures on social media.

To empower women to navigate digital world, a multifaceted approach is necessary. Here are some key strategies:

Education and awareness

Quality education on internet and its challenges should be integrated in school curriculum and community programs. Girls should be educated on privacy settings, secure password, two step verification of their accounts and strategies for handling cyber bullying and online harassment. Workshops, seminars can help girls to tackle online risks an empower them to navigate the digital world safely.

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Open Communication

Establishing supportive environment where young girls can communicate with their parents, guardians, teachers, counselors comfortably about their online harassments and can ask for help when needed, Parents should keep an eye on their children’s screen time, social media usage and privacy setting.

Critical Thinking Skills

Young women should be taught about critical thinking skills which will help them differentiate signs of online manipulation. Girls should be aware of fake and real profiles.

Safe Social Media Practices

Social media is the main source of cybercrimes. Women should be taught about safe social media practices such as privacy settings, avoid sharing personal information helps to tackle the risk of privacy breaches. Girls should be careful while accepting friend requests and messages from strangers and sharing photos and videos or location information online.

Empowerment and Self-Defense

Empowering girls so that they could stand up against online harassment. Girls should know how to take action against cyber bullies, how to block and report abusive users. Building self confidence helps women advocate for themselves online and preserve their rights to a safe online environment.

Empowering young women to navigate the digital world safely by raising awareness, promoting critical thinking and empowering women to advocate for themselves. Cyber security is an immeasurably important set of rules, ideas, and guidelines to be followed while using the internet.

In this digital world, by addressing the challenges faced by women, one can create a safer online environment. The following link will give a clear description on cyber safety for girls. Cyber safety for girls with example.

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Author : Santoshi Gupta