When children use the Internet and Internet communication tools such as chat, e-mail, and instant messaging, they risk possible interactions with online predators. The anonymity of the Internet means that trust and closeness can quickly develop on the Internet, especially for unsuspecting children and adolescents. Predators use this anonymity to create online relationships with inexperienced young people. To help protect your children, you need to be aware of the risks associated with online communication. If you are involved in your children, Online activity, knowing the risks, is much easier.
Keep reading to get answers to your questions about how online predators work, who run the risk of becoming a victim of online predators and how you can help reduce the risk that your child will be targeted.
How do online predators attack?
Predators establish contact with children through chat conversations, instant messaging, email, discussion / bulletin boards and social networking sites. Many teens use peer support through online forums to solve their problems, and predators often go to these online areas to look for vulnerable victims.
How do online predators seduce their prey?
Internet predators are trying to gradually seduce their goals with the help of attention, affection, kindness and even gifts, and often devote considerable time, money and energy to this time.
They know about the latest music and hobbies that may interest children.
They listen and sympathize with the children. Problems.
To try to facilitate the suppression of young people, they gradually introduce sexual content into their conversation or show explicitly sexual material.
Some predators work faster than others and immediately engage in sexually explicit conversations. This more direct approach may include stalking or a predator may stalk the prey. Predators can also evaluate the children they meet on the Internet for future personal contacts.
What children are at risk?
Young adolescents are the most vulnerable age group and are at high risk from online predators. Young adolescents tend to explore their sexuality, move away from parental control and look for new relationships outside the family. Under the guise of anonymity, they are more at risk on the Internet, even if they do not fully understand the possible consequences.
Children or teenagers who are most vulnerable to online predators are usually:
new to online activity and unfamiliar with the network label
aggressive computer users
type to try new, sharp actions in life
actively attract attention or affection
rebellious
isolated or lonely
curious
confused regarding sexual identity
easy to fool adults
attracted by subcultures, except their parents. Peace
Most children feel that they know about the dangers that lurk on the Internet, but in fact they are very naive, especially when it comes to online relationships.
How can parents minimize the risk that their child will be a victim?
Talk to your children about sexual predators and potential online threats.
Small children should not use chats, the dangers are too great. As children grow older, refer them to well-controlled children. chats. Encourage even your teens to use controlled chat rooms.
If your children participate in chat rooms, make sure you know who they are visiting and what they are talking to. Control the chat area yourself to find out what conversations are taking place.
Ask your children to never leave the public chat room. Many chat rooms offer private zones where users can communicate with each other with other chat monitors who cannot read these conversations. They are often called the "whisper."
Keep your computer connected to the Internet in a common area at home, not in a child’s bedroom. It is much more difficult for a predator to establish a relationship with your child if the computer screen is easily visible. Even when the computer is in the public area of your home, sit with your child when it is online.
When your children are young, they should share their family email address, not have their own email accounts. As they get older, you can ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to create a separate email address, but your child’s mail may remain in your account.
Tell your children to never reply to instant messages or emails from strangers. If your children use computers in places out of your control, the public library, school or friends will find out at home which computer warranties are used.
If all precautions fail, and your children do encounter an online predator, do not blame them. The offender is always responsible. Take steps to stop your child from further contact with this person.
How can I reduce the risk of my child being victimized?
There are a number of conclusions that children can accept, which include:
Never download images from an unknown source, they can be frankly sexy.
Use email filters.
Immediately tell adults if something that is happening on the Internet makes the child feel uncomfortable or frightened.
Choose a gender-neutral screen name that does not contain words or does not reveal personal information.
Never disclose personal information about yourself (including age and gender) or information about your family to anyone on the Internet; never fill out online personal profiles.
Stop any e-mail, instant messaging or chat if someone starts asking questions that are too personal or sexually suggestive.
Send a family online agreement next to your computer to remind children about protecting their online privacy.
How do I know if my child is set up?
Perhaps your child is an object of online predator if:
Your child or teenager spends a lot of time on the Internet. Most children who are victims of online predators spend a lot of time on the Internet, especially in chat rooms, and can also close the doors to their rooms and hide what they do when they work on their computer.
You will find pornography on your home computer. Predators often use pornography to sexually victimize children; predators can put things like websites, photos, and sexual email messages as a way to open sexual conversations with potential victims. Predators can use child pornography pictures to convince a child that it is normal for adults to have sex with children. You should know that your child can hide pornographic files on disks, especially if other family members use a computer.
Your child or teenager receives phone calls from people you don’t know, or makes calls (sometimes over long distances) to numbers you don’t recognize. After the predator makes contact with your child on the Internet, some online predators may try to contact young people to have phone sex or try to create a real face-to-face meeting. If children are hesitant to give out their home phone number, online offenders will provide them. Some even have toll free numbers 1-800, so potential victims can call them without parents. knowledge. Others will tell the children that they are calling, and then, using Caller ID or Call Display, predators can easily identify the child’s phone number. Do not allow your child to meet with a stranger with whom they met on the Internet, personally, without your supervision.
Your child or teenager receives mail, gifts or packages from someone you do not know. For violators, it is common to send letters, photographs, and gifts to potential victims. Internet offenders even send airline tickets to entice a child or teenager to meet them in person.
Your child or teenager leaves family and friends or quickly turns off the computer monitor or changes the screen if an adult enters a room. Internet predators work hard to drive a wedge between children and their families and often exaggerate small problems at home. Sexually victimized children tend to become seized and depressed.
Your child is using someone else’s account. Even children who do not have access to the Internet at home can meet with the perpetrator while being on the Internet at a friend’s house or in another public place, even in the library. Predators sometimes provide victims with a computer account so that they can communicate.
What can you do if your child is set up?
If your child receives sexually explicit photos from an online correspondent, or if he or she has requested sexually via email, instant messaging, or any other method on the Internet, contact your local police. Save any documentation, including email addresses, website addresses and chat logs, to share with the police.
Check your computer for pornographic files or any sexual connection they are often a warning sign.
Control your child’s access to all live emails, such as chats, instant messaging and email. Internet predators usually meet with potential victims in chat rooms, and then continue to communicate with them via email or instant messaging.
