Digitally Mediated Parenting in Bangladesh: Reality, Dangers and Answers Pir Rumel M. Saifur Rahman*, Md. Rabbi Forhad, Islam M. Jahirul Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh *Corresponding author: rumelpir.student@sust.ac.bd
Online Published on 12 September, 2023. Abstract The youth of Bangladesh is heavily reliant on their various technological devices. Children now have much more convenient access to a broad variety of applications and services relating to education, communication, and entertainment because to the widespread availability of mobile phones, laptops, and desktop computers. As a result, parents in Bangladesh are naturally concerned about the increasing privacy and security dangers their children face when they go online. There is a lack of research on how to equip children and their parents to take action to avert the risks of the internet, despite the fact that certain prospective prediction models have been established to indicate which children are at high risk of internet privacy and security problems. This study was carried out to assist address that informational vacuum. This article analyzes survey data from 383 kids (aged 6 to 17) and 311 parents (aged 25 and up) as well as in-depth interviews with 30 kids and 42 parents to determine the best ways to protect children’s privacy and safety online. Following that, we combined the survey findings with the interview insights to see what kinds of direct and indirect behaviors parents and children engage in that endanger their privacy and safety. It was also found that children are becoming more susceptible to online dangers as a result of a breakdown in communication between parents and children regarding their use of digital devices, the proliferation of social media platforms, and other factors (such as online gaming, shopping, texting with strangers, etc.). It was also shown that parents who monitor their children’s online behavior by, for example, imposing time limitations on their kids’ device use, may greatly improve their children’s online safety and security. The research finishes with seven measures parents may take to protect their children’s privacy and safety online. Top Keywords Children, Digital Activities, Privacy, Security. Top |