Blogging is an attractive career option for youngsters, but it comes with certain challenges
Children today are surrounded by digital devices from birth, and many can’t imagine life without them. Kaspersky research findings show that 40% of children surveyed from South Africa would like to become bloggers in the future. The seriousness of their intentions is evidenced by the fact that 23% of them are already developing their own blog or working on content for the future.
A dream of becoming popular is appealing for young people – 38% of children surveyed locally named it when explaining their wish to become a blogger. Some 46% of young respondents said that they simply enjoy creating video content. Interestingly, 37% stick to the view that blogging is a way to make money without much effort, while 34% are prone to choosing blogging because it’s trendy and cool.
Only 6% of parents surveyed locally expressed a clear desire for their children to pursue a career as a blogger. For 41%, this is acceptable only when the child grows up. And a quarter (25%) express unwillingness to have a blogging future for their children. Despite this, 57% support their children in their blogging endeavours or at least do not mind it.
Regardless of parents’ opinions on blogging, creating, maintaining and promoting a blog is a difficult task, which requires a wide range of skills that could be useful for a child’s future career. It can help young people to discover their creativity and ways to express themselves.
Blogging also provides mom and dad with valuable insights into their children’s lives, bringing families closer together. Parents’ support helps young people take the first step to realising their ambition with confidence and, what’s important – with cyber security in mind.
Protect private space
A social media account is a blogger’s main tool, so protecting it should be the first priority. Be sure to set up two-factor authentication – it’s a reliable feature that can help to keep a profile protected from compromise and hijacking. Creating a strong password is essential and not as difficult as it seems. Importantly, it must be unique – it’s not recommended to reuse a password from an email or social media or any other account.
Ensure the young blogger understands privacy issues – which information can be shared and what should be kept private. For example, public sharing of IDs, tickets and other documents is not a good idea. It’s also advisable to keep geotags private and not share information about current location and travel plans.
As a blogger, a child will come across a lot of different people. Discuss at the beginning what topics can be communicated with strangers and what information they should never share online. Not all followers are friendly or legitimate users, so a young blogger should be prepared for undesirable users contacting them. The best solution would be to stop responding to messages or block any suspicious users.
With the right security tools, parents can also effectively safeguard their children against cyber threats.
Text | Seifallah Jedidi
Photography | Dragon Images
Seifallah Jedidi is Regional Head of Consumer Channel for the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa at Kaspersky. For more information, go to kaspersky.co.za.
