How to Deal with Internet Predators

Millions of people use the Internet every day because it is an unbelievable source of reliable information, communication, and news. A great number of people take classes, go shopping, reserve travel tickets, and some people even do their banking on the internet. Even though the internet is full of wondrous things, there are many dangers in surfing the web. One of the most pronounced dangers is internet predators. Their main objective is to trap innocent children into thinking these individuals are their friends who can be trusted.

Internet predators are adults who pretend to be teenagers. They befriend youth on the internet and they even attempt to meet them in real life. Many think that the danger isn't until the predator and the victim come into contact, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. The danger starts way before they ever meet. Sometimes the predators never even come into contact with the person they are trying to victimize. Some of the potential dangers of these individuals include physical molestation, harassment, bullying, viruses, hackers, and legal and financial loses (Magid, 2007). They often make contact with their victims through chat rooms, websites, and instant messaging.
Justin Berry was a victim of internet predators at age thirteen. He was molested by people who he met online. After meeting these people, Justin started to operate a pornographic website of himself for five years. Currently, Justin is working with child exploitation investigators in the Justice Department. Because of his hard work, our government is now able to find the people who molested Justin and bring them to justice. Justin turned over names and credit card numbers to the authorities (Brockman, 2006).

Many believe that it is the teenagers' fault that they are talking to people that they do not know. However, this is not the case. Here are some facts that you might find disturbing: Twenty percent of parents do not monitor their children's online activity. Fifty-two percent of children on have moderate supervision. Sixty-two percent of teens say that their parents don't have any idea of the things they are doing on the net. Also seventy-one percent of parents stop monitoring their kids after the age of fourteen, but most cases of internet predators go after children between the ages of fifteen years of age and older (POK, 2006).

Everyone is trying to find a way to keep their kids safe. The first way to prevent your child from coming in contact with an internet predator is to keep your computer in a family room; this is so that you can easily keep an eye on what they are doing. The second way is to simply talk to them. Explain to them that you care about them and want them to be safe. Tell them that you have a right to know what they are doing on the internet and who they are talking to. Become the administrator of your computer, put virus scans, spy ware, and blockers on your PC. Do this is to prevent people you don't want on your computer out of it. It prevents your kids from going on websites that you don't want them to have access to. Become familiar with the web browser so that you will have a better knowledge of what you are working with and the things that your children are using. Finally, you can do is sit down with your child and make a set of rules. Inform your child to never give out you personal information. This information includes your name, age, address, social security number and your gender. If the predators don't know this information they will have a harder time finding you. You're your child to never put a picture of themselves on the internet. Doing this prevents predators from knowing what you look like. Another rule is that you should never respond to threats. Remind them that if anybody threatens them, they should tell a parent, guardian, or teacher. As a parent you should ask your child to talk to their friends. Doing this you will learn who their friends are and have an easier chance of spotting something that is out of place (POK, 2006).

If you have talked with your child and you are still concerned, there are warning signs that you can keep an eye out for. The first indicator could be if your child is spending a lot of time on the internet, especially at night. They will do this so that they are free to talk to their friends in private. Also you won't be there to spy on them. You may also be concerned if you find pornography on your computer. "Pornography is often used in sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often supply their potential victims with pornography as means of opening sexual discussion and for seduction" (FBI). The third sign is if your child is receiving phone calls and gifts from people that you don't know or haven't heard your child talk about before. The predator could be trying to get in contact with your child. Another sign that your child could be contacting a predator is that they turn off the monitor whenever you walk into the room or they become withdrawn. They could be doing this to create space between the two of you so you don't know what they are doing (FBI, 2006I).

What can you do if your child has been contacted and/or abducted by an internet predator? If your child has been contacted there are several things that there you can do. The first thing is do not touch you computer. The police can see exactly what can happen and look for evidence on it. You may also call your local police or dial your local emergency personnel in addition to notifying the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If your child has been abducted, you may wish to visit www.missingkid.com for more information (POK).

The internet can be a useful resource, but should be used with caution. You should never trust anyone and always keep personal information private. Even though the web is a wondrous place, there are predators out there and you should be careful. Another reason that you want to be careful on the internet is that you don't want to be kidnapped, molested, or cause your family harm. Internet predators not only affect their victims, but also the victims' family as well. So once again, please be careful when surfing the internet.

Works Cited

Brockman, Joshua. "Child Sex as Internet Fare, Through Eyes of a Victim." New York

Times 05 April 2006, Washington

"FBI Publications- A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety." Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI. 04 Apr 2007 .

"Internet Safety." Kids Health for Parents. Nemours Foundation. 26 Apr 2007

"LADA POK Internet Predators." Protecting Our Kids. District Attorney County of Los

Angles. 26 Apr 2007 .

Magid, Lawrence J.. "Child Safety on the Information Highway." Safe Kids.com.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 26 Apr 2007

.