Sinister Websites: Suicide, Anorexia, Peer Pressure and Bullying

Have you talked to your child about strangers online? Good! Have you reminded them to never give out any information that may help a stranger identify them? Good! Have you told them they shouldn't commit suicide because someone online was urging them to do so? No?

Most parents know that pornography exists online and they are diligent about keeping their children from viewing it. Sadly most parents aren't aware of other sites that may be far more dangerous. Troubled teens often have a hard time reaching out to their parents so they seek help from anonymous sources found online.

It used to be that parents mostly had to worry about peer pressure at school in regards to bad influences on their child's mind. This just isn't the case anymore. Though peer pressure does play role online there are far scarier messages coming from complete strangers.

It may not have crossed your mind and rightfully so. Who can even dreams such places exist? They do and they are scary places. This is what I was able to find online quiet easily. I will not be putting any links within this article because I don't want to advertise for them.

Suicide

I was almost in tears as I read the first message board I came across in relation to finding help to commit suicide. These people were not asking for help in finding a reason to live, they were asking for tips on how to do it and do it right.

Probably the most disturbing thing I found was the "help" these suicidal people were getting. Some were asking for specific amounts of drugs needed and people are answering them. This place also has suggestions for hanging, vehicle suicide and tales of failed attempts.

Sadly there were multiple sites of this nature that I could find. If I can find them so can your children. A child on the edge may not be able to ask you for help and run across these sites. What affect they have on your child is unknown and truly depends on the child.

Anorexia

Anorexia is fast becoming, or already has become, a fashion statement. You can't look through a magazine or watch a television show without seeing someone who is simply just too thin. Models and actresses are getting thinner and thinner by the day it seems. When these women are held up as the beauty standard it's no wonder a teenage girls may want to look like this as well.

The first Internet site I came across was password protected. They didn't want any "anti anas" coming in and giving them a hard time. "Anti Anas" are people who are against anorexia. The site also claims to be pro anorexia and bulimia and informs me that if I don't have an open mind then I should leave.

Another group I found was discussing a member who had shrunk to 50 odd pounds and was hoping to get down into the 40's. They were wondering if she succeeded and hoped she had. They ended by wondering why they haven't heard from her. My first thought is that my four-year-old daughter weighs forty pounds!

The most prevalent theme of these sites is how anorexia is power. These young girls are looking for partners to help them become or remain anorexic. It's scary stuff indeed.

Bullies

Not only may your child be facing bullies in school they may be facing them on the Internet. Your child can no longer escape from bullies once they get home because they lurk on instant messenger and on school message boards.

What Can You Do?

The truth is no matter how close you think you are to your child there are things about them you do not know. Don't just assume things are great because their grades are good and they seem to be happy. Some children are better at hiding things than others. Your assumptions may end up being something you regret.

Though it may feel akin to going through their diaries you should keep close tabs on what your child is doing when they are on the Internet. Hovering over them when they are on the computer may not help because they quite often will close a window or let their chat partner know their parent is in the room.

Go through the history on your computer to see where your child has been. The history function on your browser will record each website your child has visited. Click on links that are not familiar to you. If you find the history cleared out when you go to look through it this may be because your child has cleared the history so you can't find out what they have been doing.

You can buy software that will limit where you child can go on the Internet. You can ban certain keywords so your child cannot go to a Website dealing with certain subject matter. These programs can limit sites pertaining to subject matter of an adult or dangerous nature.

The very best thing you can do is talk to your child. This isn't always easy but it's important to keep trying. Let your child know you aren't trying to pry but if they need to talk to you about something important you are always there to listen to them and help them.