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While on-line computer exploration offers many new opportunities to children, there are individuals who attempt to sexually exploit children through the use of the Internet. By knowing the warning signs that your child may be at risk, and knowing safety tips for on-line activity, you can protect your child from these predators.
What Are Signs That Your Child Might Be At Risk On-line?
Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.
Most children that fall victim to computer-sex offenders spend large amounts of time on-line, particularly in chat rooms. They may go on-line after dinner and on the weekends and stay on for long periods of time. They may argue or complain when asked to get off line.
You find pornography on your child's computer.
Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often supply their potential victims with pornography as a means of opening sexual discussions and for seduction. Child pornography may be used to show the child victim that sex between children and adults is "normal."
Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
While talking to a child victim on-line is a thrill for a computer-sex offender, it can be very cumbersome. Most want to talk to the children on the telephone. They often engage in "phone sex" with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting for real sex.
Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
As part of the seduction process, it is common for offenders to send letters, photographs, and all manner of gifts to their potential victims. Computer-sex offenders have even sent plane tickets in order for the child to travel across the country to meet them.
Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.
A child looking at pornographic images or having sexually explicit conversations does not want you to see it on the screen.
Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.
Computer-sex offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and their family or at exploiting their relationship. They will accentuate any minor problems at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual victimization.
What Should You Do If You Suspect Your Child Is
Communicating With A Sexual Predator On-line?
· Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders.
· Review what is on your child's computer.
· Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child.
· Devices can be purchased that show telephone numbers that have been dialed from your home phone.
· Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications (i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat, etc.), and monitor your child's e-mail. Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child on-line, they will continue to communicate electronically often via e-mail.
What Can You Do To Minimize The Chances Of An On-line Exploiter Victimizing Your Child?
· Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual
victimization and potential on-line danger.
· Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
· Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
· Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them.
· Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be aware that your child could be contacted through the U.S. Mail. Be up front with your child about your access and reasons why.
· Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. There is much more to the on-line experience than chat rooms.
· Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an on-line predator.
· Understand, even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, that he/she is not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.
Before allowing your child on the Internet, instruct them to:
1. to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line;
2. to never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know;
3. to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;
4. to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
5. to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
6. that whatever they are told on-line may or may not be true.
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