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The internet has led to an increase in internet predators, who harm children online or in person. Parents, teachers, and caregivers must learn how to protect children by monitoring their online activity, blocking personal messages, and installing blocking software. Children should avoid posting personal information online, never enter private chats with strangers, and use the computer only in front of parents or educators. Parents should reserve the right to stop communication with suspicious users and keep communication open with children about internet safety.
The internet has certainly spawned tons of new ways for kids to search for information or have fun. Yet it has also been linked to the rise of the internet predator, which is a person or people who would attempt to harm children online or in person. It is very important that parents, teachers and other caregivers find out how to protect children from these predators.
Perhaps one of the easiest things an internet predator can do is exploit the fact that children tend to know more about being online than their parents. Whether kids have online access at home, school, or even the library, parents should share the same amount of knowledge. Some things parents should know how to do include learning how to block personal messages and installing blocking software. Parents should also be aware of where children go when online and not expect kid-friendly sites to be completely safe all the time, or that if an internet history shows no activity, the children haven’t surfed everywhere.
First of all, most kids easily learn how to clear the history on their web browser. If the history is cleared, you should assume the kids have been where they shouldn’t have. Do not allow browsing that involves clearing the web browser and check this browser periodically to make sure that all sites visited by a child are logged. Visit sites to make sure they are not potentially dangerous.
An internet predator is likely to take advantage of children who post a large amount of information online. While it’s great to have MySpace® or Facebook® pages, children should probably avoid having them, as they post pictures and can indiscriminately post information that could show their location. Children who use the Internet should also agree never to enter a private chat with someone they don’t know, even if they think they know this person. Like predators in the outside world, an Internet predator will do whatever it takes to make a child like him or her, or to give up on locating information. Children should also be warned that they should never talk about their age, gender, or location, even if they believe this information goes to someone they know. Even seemingly innocent information like the name of their soccer team or school can give an internet predator enough information to find them.
Probably the most important way a child can avoid an Internet predator is to use the computer only in front of parents or educators. They should never be allowed online when they can’t be supervised, and a condition of using the internet should be that children understand that this is not private. Parents should be able to look over the shoulder of any child using the Internet and ask as many questions as they like. In general, this means that children shouldn’t have computers in their room or other private areas of the house. It may seem difficult for parents to be the “bad guys” in this regard, and parents are likely to get some complaints from children. These complaints are a small price to pay for keeping kids safe online.
Parents should also reserve the right to stop communicating with any other users who seem to be acting strange or endearing. Questions about location or gender should be viewed with suspicion, and children should be granted parental rights to cut off contact with another user. Other signs that a child may be in contact with an Internet predator include the child mentioning names of adults or teenagers the parent does not know, or attempting to go online privately. Keep the line of communication open with children regarding internet use and let them know that this is a privilege and not a right and that children must act responsibly and within safety guidelines to maintain this privilege .
