Keeping Your Children Safe – Internet Dangers

The Internet is a fantastic tool, but just like any powerful tool it can be dangerous to those who do not understand how to use it.  Computers are everywhere – they are part of our landscape, even children in pre-school and kindergarten are exposed to Internet sites that are designed to educate and stimulate young minds.

Some parent groups have started campaigns to reduce the use of computers by young children and teens.  Although this might remove some risk, it will not protect children from on-line predators who will seek out vulnerable or unwary victims.

Protection begins at home, so even though we want our children to learn independence, we cannot use the Internet as a surrogate parent or babysitter.  In spite of the fact that the majority of victims fall into the 12 to 16 year old age range, younger children are not immune to the damaging effects of online pornography and predators.
 
There are resources that to help parents protect their children.  They include websites that provide guidelines for assessing children’s Internet activities. Internet service providers (ISPs) offer control options that allow parents to block access to specific material and sites that are considered objectionable.  Firewalls can block information from being captured by predatory websites.  The FBI also has a website that provides guidelines for monitoring activities on the Internet.

But the bottom line is diligence – parents cannot assume that their children, no matter what age, are completely protected from dangerous sites on the Internet.  The best way to protect children is through communication. Be aware of what sites are being visited, be proactive about finding out who children are talking to on the internet and make sure that there are no ‘secrets’ in their Internet activities.