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Keep Your Kids Safe from Online Predators

Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to quickly create intimate relationships with children. Here's what you can do to make sure your kids don't become victims.

The Internet has a lot to offer children, but to many parents and educators it is a threatening place with predators lurking around every corner. Some of this concern is well-founded. A 2001 study showed that approximately 1 in 5 children are sexually solicited online, and one in 33 children are aggressively pursued by predators. The most dangerous places are chat rooms, where 65% of these incidents occur, and instant messenger, where 24% of these incidents occur.

Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to quickly create an intimate relationship with their victims. Even kids who consider themselves web-savvy can be persuaded to give up personal identifying information once they feel they "trust a person." This act of building trust with a potential victim is called grooming. It usually starts out with flattering comments and sympathetic chat about the child's life. The predator may then send gifts to the child, try to drive a wedge between the child and its family, or send pornography to the child.

Predators usually target young adolescents because kids in this age group are frequently insecure, exploring their sexuality, and moving away from the safety realm of their parents. These young teenagers are thus highly vulnerable to the attention and affection that online predators offer.

While child predators used to work alone in secrecy, they now use the Internet to create networks where they can share information and reinforce each other's behavior. They even use the Internet to share tips for seducing children and avoiding law enforcement. This makes it harder than ever to protect children from predators; however, there are things you can do to help children avoid becoming victims.

  • Put the family computer in a common room, not in a child's bedroom.
  • Educate children about online predators. Make sure they feel comfortable talking to you if someone approaches them online.
  • Teach children to never leave a chat room's public area to enter a private chat room.
  • Young children should not use chat rooms, but if they do, make sure you monitor which ones they visit and who they talk to.
  • Teach children not to respond to instant messages or emails from strangers.
  • Create a family email address, and make sure children use that instead of a private email address.
  • Consider installing parental control software that monitors instant messenger and chats for explicit language. The GetNetWise  Web site can help you compare features on different software packages.
  • Teach children to never share any personal information online.
  • If your child has a profile on MySpace or another social networking site, go through their list of friends and make sure they know each person in real life. Also, make sure that they have not posted any personal information on their profiles.
  • Make sure your child understands that they should not meet with anybody they have met online unless you are present.
  • Familiarize yourself with Internet chat code. Kids sometimes use these acronyms to hide what they are saying from parents and teachers.
  • Teach children not to download images that strangers send them online since they could contain pornography.
  • Have children choose a gender-neutral screen name for instant messaging and chat rooms.

There are several signs that your child may be the target of a predator, including withdrawing from family and friends, spending a lot of time online, and receiving mail, gifts, or phone calls from people you don't know.

If you suspect that your child has been approached by an online predator, you should monitor his or her online communications and contact your local police if necessary. You can also contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline at www.missingkids.com/cybertip. Do not threaten to take away your child's Internet privileges, since this may just encourage them to hide their online activity.

By working with your children and educating them about the danger of online predators, you can help them safely discover all that the Internet has to offer.

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