Is this scary?
Two kids out of my daughter’s class of 50 will be sexually solicited by an online pedophile, according to statistics. One in five children online were inappropriately approached last year, yet only 25% of them ever told a parent. 58% of teens say they’ve electronically met someone that wanted to see them in person and 29% say they’ve had a “scary” experience online. Folks, it’s time to get serious about protecting our kids from this dark side of the Internet. Here’s what you need to do:
Talk with your kids.
Let them know about the very real danger that is online. I frequently point out relevant TV news stories to my kids to give them a real world example of what’s going on. Let your kids know the sad but simple truth that there are evil people online that want to hurt them.
Surf the Internet with your children.
It’s a huge red flag for your family if you don’t know the top 3 Web sites your kids are visiting. Take an interest in your kids’ online activity. Share favorite websites with each other. Develop a good rapport in the hopes that they will tell you when (not if!) they stumble on an inappropriate site.
Don’t let online strangers virtually lock themselves into your children’s bedroom.
Keep all computers in the family room where you can see what your kids are doing online with a glance. And if your children quickly change the screen or turn off their monitor when you come around, it might be a sign of inappropriate activity you need to investigate.
Consider installing “Parental Control Software”.
Monitor your kids’ activity (including chatroom conversations) and keep inappropriate sites off limits. You should be able to log into any email software or online site your children regularly use. Explain why you’re taking steps to monitor what they do. In extreme cases, you can install “Keylogging” software that records every keystroke, revealing the passwords you need to access any of their protected sites. Road Runner subscribers can download a FREE copy of "Puresight Parental Control Software" at rr.com (just do a search when you get to the site).
Teach your children
Never disclose private information and of course make sure they know it’s a bad idea to post pictures of themselves online. I’ve taught my kids to use fake identities and made it fun by encouraging them to use their favorite cartoon character’s name when filling online forms.
Train your children to be skeptical about what they read.
Take the time to sit down together and research the facts. Jointly refuting a wild claim once or twice is all it will take for your kids forever distrust what they read online and frankly we could all use a little more of that attitude.
Find out about the safeguards in place for computers outside the home
Examples include the library, school, and especialy friend’s homes. What good is it if your house is safe but your child can get unsupervised access at their best friend’s place? Reduce the ways online predators can reach your child.
Does your teen have a personal page on the new “corner hangout”, MySpace.com?
When was the last time you visited it? I found my nephew’s page and learned quite a bit about his friends too. It’s relatively easy to do a MySpace search and you’ll be amazed to read what kids say about themselves. If only their parents knew...
In many ways, responsible online parenting mirrors good offline habits: stay involved with your kids’ lives in a meaningful way, teach them the difference between right, wrong, good, and bad, and most of all supervise your children. Translating these fundamentals into their online equivalent can save your kids from becoming a tragic statistic.
