Do You Know What You’re Child is Doing on the Internet?
The Internet Isn’t a Safe Place for Our Kids
When the Internet first began to grow, we never could have anticipated the danger that it would bring right into our very homes. After all, how could something a simple as a computer put our children at risk of injury and abduction? In fact, back in the early nineties, if you would have told someone that the Internet was a dangerous place, they would have laughed at you. That’s definitely no longer the case.
It CAN Happen to You
The first thing you need to understand when you let your child or teen roam the Internet unattended is that no matter how responsible you think your child may be, the worst scenario CAN happen to you.
Unfortunately, the Internet is crawling with predators that prey on children and teens and trust me, it’s not like these predators are holding up big signs stating that they intend to hurt your children. These Internet predators are slick in addition to being sick. They can take little pieces of information that may seem innocent and put them together to find your child and when they find your child, that’s when the nightmare begins.
Keeping Them Safe
Now I really don’t mean to sound all doom and gloom, but it is so important for you to understand how dangerous the Internet can be. All you have to do is scour the news for articles about children and teens who have been abducted due to chat room conversations and the picture becomes all too clear.
The only way to keep your children safe on the Internet is to prohibit them from using chat rooms or websites like MySpace or to keep a constant eye on them when they’re on the Web. In fact, if you’re afraid your child will go on the Web without your knowledge, you can install SpyWare into your computer that will allow you to track every move your child makes online.
Don’t get me wrong, I do realize that the Internet is a big part of the culture of our youth, but if everyone else’s children were jumping off of a bridge, would you let yours? Sure, your child isn’t going to like it and they might even get mad, but it’s better to be a mean parent than a grieving one.