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Resources:
Tips for Being Safe on the Net It is no longer sufficient to teach our children only about “stranger danger”. Most assaults on children come from someone they know and have grown to trust. There have been several recent events in media coverage where youth were allegedly assaulted by a camp counselor, or trusted adult at church, or by someone in the capacity of a coach. Additionally, in this day of the web and internet, our children are exposed to dangers earlier generations would think inconceivable, while in the safety of their own homes. Someone you did not invite or screen may be interacting with your child via internet or wireless telecommunication. MySpace acknowledged recently that it had detected some 29,000 registered sex offenders on its site, and that was only those who signed up using their real names (Wall Street Journal 8/22/07) During a presentation for parents done by Keith Dunn, former undercover investigator, last April in Sturgis, he posed on the internet as a twelve-year old girl. During the hour long presentation there were over sixty responses to the “twelve-year old girl” by people who could be suspected to be predators. An area of danger that was unheard of a few years ago. So, what are the ways we can keep our youth safe? The number one is to be interested in and involved in your child’s life. Discipline comes from the word disciple, which means ‘to teach’. Teach your child how to be safe. Attend with your child the activities he or she enjoys. Learn with your child how to navigate the internet safely. You don’t have to forbid your children to be on the internet, but you must be aware of what activities they are doing on the internet and what sites they are visiting. Ensure that they do not have one social networking profile you know about and others you don’t. Teach them to avoid putting personally identifying information on the internet. Most experts recommend that youth do not put their photo, phone number or address. Even names of sports’ team could be a devise a predator could use to contact your child. It is important to remember that MySpace has more registered users than Mexico has people. There are many benefits to technology, and there are some pitfalls. Learn about the pitfalls and how to help your child avoid them. Bullying has become a significant issue with chat rooms. Teach your child how to avoid being bullied and participating in bullying. In a 2004 survey done by i-SAFE, an Internet safety program, 42% of the 1,500 surveyed students in grades four through eight reported being bullied online. 53% of the students admitted to saying mean things to other youth online. Our youth are growing up technology literate. We, as adults, need to become literate too. Schools are required by law to restrict access to potentially harmful internet sites, which include chat rooms. It is at home where youth may be accessing sites which could be harmful to them. In summary, to keep your child safe, remember:
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