– We are working on a report to the Storting on a safe digital upbringing. Extensive work will be done there, which will, among other things, deal with the consequences of children’s internet use, says Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp). The minister explains that this is the first report of its kind and the aim is to give the emergency services more knowledge about the dangers of children and young people’s internet use. The minister has six children. She herself remembers that it could be difficult to keep up to date with what they were doing online when they were small. Trust in the children Toppe chose not to control all of his children’s internet use, but bet on trust. – I understand the parents and that it is demanding to keep up with everything. We also have to trust the children and not control too much, says Toppe. But now the minister is asking parents not to be naive. – We parents must also be informed about the dangers online. Nettvett is a joint responsibility in which schools and other voluntary organizations must also participate in order to bring out knowledge and risks. The authorities also have a responsibility to facilitate this. – The time has come The children’s ombudsman is often in talks with troubled parents. They work to safeguard children’s rights. – We believe that the time is overdue. The authorities must intensify their work to ensure that children and young people make safe choices online, says professional adviser and lawyer at the Children’s Ombudsman Mathias Lia Nordmoen. The authorities deal with firefighting and take measures based on fear and not knowledge, says Mathias Lia Nordmoen, specialist adviser and lawyer at the Children’s Ombudsman. Photo: Children’s Ombudsman – We have requested that a research center be established for children and young people’s digital everyday life. This was not prioritized in the national budget for either 2022 or 2023, says Lia Nordmoen. The organization Barnevakten also talks to children who have shared nude photos of themselves and are deeply distressed. – They become uncertain as to who has seen these images. It can create social insecurity, school refusal and difficulties in focusing, says general manager Leif Gunnar Vestbøstad Vik. – What should parents do if they expose their children to nude photos? – The most important thing is to have a good chat and let the children put into words what they have experienced themselves, before you block the internet or take away their phone, says Vestbøstad Vik. Recipe for low self-esteem Psychologist Vidar Kristensen is known through the Instagram account @psykolog.pappa. He has many young followers there. He is concerned about the consequences the sale of nude photos can have on children. – A danger is that these children can develop a self-image where self-worth is linked to selling themselves as an object. It is a recipe for low self-esteem in the long term, says Kristensen. He feared that the sale of nudes would be normalised. – I fear that there are large dark figures. It would be useful to gain more knowledge if those “affected” are children who have received too little recognition and therefore seek attention elsewhere, says psychologist dad Vidar Kristensen. Vidar Kristensen is a psychologist and runs the Instagram account Psykologpappa. He is followed by many young people and he fears the consequences if the sale of nudes is normalised. Photo: PRIVATE
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We need better help for the children who sell nude photos online – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
