The Lifeguard
Protect Your Children from Internet Predators
The problem of internet predators is a subject often discussed on this site as well as in the media in general. It is a very serious problem, but one from which loving parents can protect their children. All that is required is a little practical education of both parents and children.
The single most important ingredient for insulating kids is awareness. First and foremost, a parent must know who the enemy is. The primary concern is not the men fishing for children, they are opportunists using exploiting the system to satisfy their depraved desires. Instead, the antagonist is the system which gives predators the means to carry out their evil intentions.
Do not jump to the conclusion that it is the internet itself which is to blame. Like it or not, the internet is unavoidable. It is radio, television, newspapers and the telephone all rolled into one and it will be indispensable in the 21st century. The main culprit, which facilitates child predation, today is the chat room. Chat rooms are sites in which people exchange messages in real time using self assigned identities and they are usually unmoderated. Typically, predators pose as kids and then slowly but methodically develop relationships with their victims gaining their trust until they can arrange a face-to-face meeting. More on chat rooms here, here and here.
News10now.com from Upstate New York has posted an informative article explaining some of the issues of online predation and chat rooms:
Note the last paragraph above. Chat rooms exist as "features" of what otherwise might be considered acceptable sites. Every parent should be wary of chat rooms and discourage or prohibit their use. It is not hard. After all, it is the parents and not the children who own the computers, pay for the internet access and are in all respects responsible for the well being of their children.
The single most important ingredient for insulating kids is awareness. First and foremost, a parent must know who the enemy is. The primary concern is not the men fishing for children, they are opportunists using exploiting the system to satisfy their depraved desires. Instead, the antagonist is the system which gives predators the means to carry out their evil intentions.
Do not jump to the conclusion that it is the internet itself which is to blame. Like it or not, the internet is unavoidable. It is radio, television, newspapers and the telephone all rolled into one and it will be indispensable in the 21st century. The main culprit, which facilitates child predation, today is the chat room. Chat rooms are sites in which people exchange messages in real time using self assigned identities and they are usually unmoderated. Typically, predators pose as kids and then slowly but methodically develop relationships with their victims gaining their trust until they can arrange a face-to-face meeting. More on chat rooms here, here and here.
News10now.com from Upstate New York has posted an informative article explaining some of the issues of online predation and chat rooms:
Posing as a child surfing the Web, an undercover officer's asked to meet a man claiming he's a contractor. But when the man shows, police didn't find what they expected in the back of his truck.
"Hammers and nails and ladders and paint. The back of the pickup truck was completely cleaned out except for two things, rope and duct tape. He had told us online we would go to a remote part of the county park to have our sexual rendezvous. Our fear was if he was meeting a real child the child would never have come out alive," said Kenneth Citarella, Westchester County Assistant District Attorney.
[...]
Preying on children is getting easier as sites they go to, and schools don't block, add chat rooms. Those sites include Nickelodeon and various game Web sites.
"Hammers and nails and ladders and paint. The back of the pickup truck was completely cleaned out except for two things, rope and duct tape. He had told us online we would go to a remote part of the county park to have our sexual rendezvous. Our fear was if he was meeting a real child the child would never have come out alive," said Kenneth Citarella, Westchester County Assistant District Attorney.
[...]
Preying on children is getting easier as sites they go to, and schools don't block, add chat rooms. Those sites include Nickelodeon and various game Web sites.
Note the last paragraph above. Chat rooms exist as "features" of what otherwise might be considered acceptable sites. Every parent should be wary of chat rooms and discourage or prohibit their use. It is not hard. After all, it is the parents and not the children who own the computers, pay for the internet access and are in all respects responsible for the well being of their children.
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