It’s happened to us all – you’re scrolling through the internet when you come across something that grabs your attention. It could be a juicy headline meant to drive traffic to a certain website, an image that catches your eye, or a quiz that will reveal your celebrity look alike and you click without a second thought.
While some links connected to clickbait are harmless, others can install harmful malware onto your device. Children can be even more susceptible to clickbait scams. As adults, we often click on a link before we give a thought to what’s actually going on, but are also becoming more aware of the dangers clickbait poses to our personal information and identity. Children, on the other hand, do not have the maturity to distinguish between what is real, and what is harmful clickbait. Read our clickbait parents guide below.
What is Clickbait and How Does it Work?
The main goal of clickbait is to drive its desired audience to a particular website. Clickbait also encourages its audience to share the link across their social media channels with the ultimate goal of making the link go viral. The best case is the clickbait is meant to drive interest with the reader through a sensational headline or image. The worst case scenario, however, is clickbait that is designed to cause harm by intentionally spreading misleading or false information in order to create more website traffic that increases advertising revenue.
Even if you’ve never heard the term clickbait before, it is very likely that you’ve seen it thousands of times, and often not even realized it. Being the victim of malicious clickbait can be a traumatic experience for an adult, let alone an innocent child. Misleading information can fill a young child’s head with a false impression of the people and subjects they are interested in, especially celebrities and sports figures. It can completely skew their perception of the world and what they can expect from life as they get older.
Some common examples of clickbait are:
Sensational headline.
Headlines that make unrealistic claims, like “ The right amount of sugar is great for children and their learning!” is almost definitely clickbait. Other headlines like “ This cream is guaranteed to make you look as beautiful as Angelina Jolie” is likely also clickbait. “Click here to win a free XBox”…definitely click bait.
Catchy GIFs and images.
GIFs and memes are a very popular way to convey your thoughts and ideas in a modern digital world. Unrealistic images or GIFs that are used to show something unbelievably remarkable is also probably clickbait.
Easy money at home.
There are valid work from home jobs available online. Take a look at sites like LinkedIn and Indeed and you’ll find hundreds of applications for good paying remote jobs. Jobs posted on unverified sites or ones that offer free money for little to no work are definitely clickbait.
What Does Clickbait Mean for Your Child’s Online Security?
Bad online actors are fully aware that as humans we are naturally curious, and clickbait relies on behavioral science for that reason. In a technologically modern world, we have become accustomed to, and expect, instant gratification. We want to fill the informational gaps and avoid boredom, bypassing caution and clicking on headlines or images that will fill that need, but often do not deliver on its promise.
Teaching our children critical thinking skills and strong digital literacy is the best way to change these dangerous habits. Critical thinking is more than simply taking a pause before you click, it’s gaining an understanding of the online environment.
Clickbait poses a huge threat to the safety of children online. How?
Misinformation and deception.
The intent behind some clickbait is to spread negative, false, or inflammatory information. These motivations can often be political, and some scammers thrive on spreading false narratives. Children do not have the skills and maturity to understand what they are viewing and why it is harmful.
Fraud and identity theft.
Children can be very easily tricked into giving out their personal information without ever realizing they are on a suspicious website. They may be asked for names, addresses, birthdays, passwords and other private information that scammers use for fraud and identity theft.
Malware and viruses.
Clickbait links are often connected to phishing software or malicious websites that infect your computer or mobile device with viruses. Children often do not realize that clicking these links can add dangerous software to their devices.
Inappropriate content.
Clickbait often leads to content that is totally inappropriate for children like sexual content, drug and alcohol content, profanity, and more.
Wasted time.
Clickbait encourages never ending consumption of online content that results in hours of pointless scrolling. Unless there is a specific purpose for clicking on the link like education or connecting with their family and friends, there is no reason a child should get pulled into the endless rabbit hole of clickbait.
Tips for Talking to Your Child About Clickbait
Children will always be more vulnerable to clickbait than adults. It’s important that we talk with our children and teach them how to recognize malicious intent on the internet. Teach them to ask questions before clicking on a link like:
- What is the goal of where this link takes me?
- Do I know and trust the person who sent the link to me?
- What does the app or website want me to do?
- Where does this link take me?
- What are the risks of clicking on this link?
In talking with your child, take out your phone and show them examples of what clickbait looks like and how to identify it with the information above. Children do not always have good impulse control, so it’s important to get the point across. Explain the motive behind clickbait and how these online actors are not acting in their best interest.
It is also vitally important that your child understands what information they should NEVER give out online, no matter how believable the sales pitch is or how cold the website looks. It’s important to stress to your child that they should never give out their real name, home address, age or birthday, passwords, or any other information about their family members. Your child should always ask your permission before giving out any information online.
The Simplest Way to Keep Your Kids Safe Online
The easiest and most simple way to monitor your child’s online activity to keep them safe is with a reliable, unobtrusive child monitoring app. The Child Safety Tracker app is one of the top parental control apps available, and is free to download. Parents can begin monitoring their child’s online activity in less than 20 minutes.
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