Quoting an enlightening Mishpacha interview with internet filtering expert Yossie Strickman:
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If there’s one component Yossie Strickman considers a top priority, it’s awareness. To be aware is to be educated. Educated on technology, and educated on the nuances of human nature, especially when those humans are teenagers. The common belief is that once a phone is filtered, it’s out of the danger zone. This, Yossie says, is an enormous mistake.
“Firstly, even if a phone loses all Internet capacity, it can still have an SD card reader,” he explains. “An SD card can hold an incredible amount of data, and if it can be inserted in your child’s phone, he or she is well within the zone of danger.”
Then there are the dangers that lurk beneath the seemingly most innocent apps. “WhatsApp is such a huge problem, although so many parents are convinced it’s totally fine,” he says. “After all, what’s the difference between WhatsApp and regular text? The answer is, everything. WhatsApp is significantly more efficient than text when it comes to sending pictures and videos. And the problem snowballs. Because of its efficiency, there are so many terrible WhatsApp groups out there. If your kid has nothing beside WhatsApp, that can still be a huge problem.”
How can parents detect a problem? Over the years, Yossie has learned to spot the telltale signs. “All teens are moody, but when you start seeing drastic changes in moods within a short time period, you have to suspect a problem.” Other indicators are extreme fatigue and a sudden, intense obsession with protection over their privacy.
“We have to get educated,” he insists. “You can’t fight what you don’t know.”