By: Michelle Jones

Internet Safety For Your Child and You

Did You Know…

1 in 33 youths has received an aggressive

solicitation to meet somewhere?

Most children who agree to meet face-to-

face with an adult do so willingly, they are not

tricked or coerced!

Did You Know…

1 in 17 youths has beenthreatened or harassed

online?

-or that-

1 in 5 youths between the ages of 10 and 17 has

received unwanted sexual solicitations online?

It’s True!

The internet makes it easy for predatorsto locate their next potential victims

How Predators Find Their Victims

• Chat Rooms• Discussion Groups

• Blogs• Email

• IM (Instant Messaging)

How Predators Trap Their Victim:

An adult looking for children can use the interests and hobbies located on the child’s online profile to

persuade the child that he or she has found someone who has similar interests and/or problems.

Characteristics of a Victim:• Spending a lot of time

online; especially at night.

• Becoming more distant from the family

• Finding pornography on child’s computer

• Calling long distance or unrecognized numbers

More Characteristics of a Victim:• A child hiding what they

are doing on the computer.

• Using a different online account.

• Receiving packages from people you don’t know.

How To Keep Your Child From Becoming A Victim:

• Control access to chat rooms and other types of

discussion boards

• Control IM (Instant Messaging)

• Keep screen names free of any type of personal information (birthdays, age school name etc.)

• Place computer in a common area so it can

easily be monitored

Other Ways To Keep Your Child From Becoming A Victim:

• Avoid online profiles in general

• Monitor use of cameras and webcams

• Check email, chat room conversations, instant

messages, and entries on blogs and networking

sites

Ways to Keep Your Child Safe

• Use your computers’ parental controls

• Install filtering and blocking software on

your computer

If your child is being threatened or harassed online, you may want to contact one or

more of the following:

• School Resource Officer

• Internet Service Provider

• Cybertipline:– 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

– www.cybertipline.com

Teach Your Child About the Harms of the Internet

• Make it clear to your children that you are in

charge

• Tell your child about the potential dangerous of the

internet

• Be on the lookout for advances in technology

Remember:

it isn’t snooping; it’s caring

Sources

• http://www.besafeonline.org/English/safer_use_of_services_on_the_internet.htm

• http://www.ncsbi.gov/DocumentStreamerClient?directory=Publications&file=Internet_Safety_HighRes.pdf

• http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/index_en.htm