Techno Tips: Internet Safety By Joshua Finer

Did you know that one of five American kids has been sexually solicited online? Or that one in four has been sent sexually explicit material? You might also want to know that on May 21, 2002, a death of a child was linked directly to an Internet predator.

Parents’ biggest concern about the Internet used to be pornography, but there is definitely a greater fear today. You have probably taught your child not to talk to strangers, and in many situations, they would remember this. But the Internet is different.

Due to the Internet’s anonymity, strangers are talking to children all the time. They try to gain the child’s trust by having friendly conversation at first, but over time, their true objective of sexually soliciting the child becomes evident. Children and parents alike are unaware of this, yet this is exactly what is going on via the Internt.

What can today’s parent do? Armed with information, there’s quite a bit a parent can do. Here are the top five internet safety tips:

1. Tell your children to never reveal their names, address, phone number or any other personal information to anyone online. Once you give out this information, it is impossible to retract.

2. Communicate regularly (not just once) with your children about what they do online and whom they talk to online. If you have actually met the friends they are talking to, you’ll know it is okay for them to chat with them online.

3. Take computers out of kids’ rooms and put them into public areas such as the family room. Many parents think they are helping with homework by giving the kids a computer but remain unaware of certain dangers.

4. Choose your child’s screen name, email address or instant message name wisely - don’t reveal ages, sex, hobbies, and do not use suggestive or sexy names. Predators are more likely to pursue a child with the screen name "sexyteen5" than "happygirl5."

5. Use technology to help you protect your children. Monitoring software gives you the ability to review your their Internet usage. Although some parenting experts have concern over violating children’s trust, others feel that this is very important. Even if you don’t look at each and every email or instant message they send, you’ll have a good idea if they are making smart choices online.

The Internet can open many doors and provide useful information for children. An aware and informed parent can help keep children safe.

RESOURCES: Statistics from "‘Online Victimization: A Survey of the Nations’ Youth", a study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2000. Case referenced is that of Christina Long in Danbury, Conn.