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Joyce
Brothers: Are your children vulnerable to Internet predators?
Last updated
January 1, 2008 11:32 a.m. PT
By DR. JOYCE
BROTHERS
There are many watchdog groups, as well as
software and hardware solutions, aimed at keeping children safe on the
Internet. But people who understand the problem realize that it can't be solved
by technology alone. How much do you know about keeping kids safe when they go
on the Internet? Take this quiz to find out. True or false?
1. Internet predators are a different breed from
the typical pedophile who has lured and seduced
children in the past.
2. One of the most vulnerable times for
middle-school kids to get into trouble on the Internet is late at night.
3. Instead of filling out a profile, children
should let Internet friends know their age and interests by clever screen names
like "soccer boy 93" instead of using their real names.
4. When you buy a new computer for your child,
make sure it has all the bells and whistles, such as Webcams, photo-scanning
printers and built-in microphones.
5. Even if there is no "real" contact
between a pedophile and a kid, it can be dangerous to children's emotional
health for them to be exposed to pornographic images or inappropriate sex talk.
6. If a pedophile doesn't get a rise out of a kid
in the first couple of conversations, he probably will give up and go on to
someone else.
7. Outgoing kids with plenty of friends and
activities are safe from Internet predators. It's the shy, lonely and needy
kids that pedophiles pick on.
ANSWERS:
1. FALSE. The type of person who lures children
for sexual purposes on or off the Internet is one and the same. While not all
pedophiles are Internet-savvy, others have added this new technology to their
list of "venues" in which to get close to kids.
2. TRUE. A recent survey showed that more than 50
percent of middle-school children turned their computer back on after their
parents thought they were in bed asleep -- another good reason to avoid putting
the temptation of the Internet in kids' bedrooms.
3. FALSE. They should never use their real names
in a public forum, but telegraphing their age and interests can be dangerous,
too. Internet predators are on the lookout for information they can use to hook
the child -- and they know all the lingo to fool kids
into thinking they are another preteen.
4. FALSE. If your child "needs" the
extra technology for school projects, let him use a computer under the
supervision of teachers at school. Kids should know that if they send a photo
of themselves over the Internet, it can be altered or placed anywhere.
Meanwhile, limit your own family photos to private Web sites you set up and
control.
5. TRUE. Studies show that kids exposed to
age-inappropriate sex talk or photos/videos can be traumatized even without
physical contact by a predator. Tell your child to alert you if he receives
inappropriate talk or photos. Then you should call the police, saving the
evidence of chats and photos so the user can be traced by authorities.
6. FALSE. Pedophiles sometimes spend weeks or
months "grooming" a child, gradually turning the conversation to more
intimate areas, while pretending to be another kid of the same age. Eventually
they send photos of children involved in sex acts -- an attempt to normalize
these activities and take advantage of the kid's natural curiosity.
7. FALSE. While an emotionally needy kid may be a
bit more vulnerable to online expressions of friendship, all kids are equal
targets for predators, and it's often the friendly, trusting ones who are first
to give up personal details. In any case, all children need and deserve
protection and education about stranger danger on the Internet.
If you got five of the seven questions correct,
you are likely to approach the Internet with the kind of tools that will help
keep a child away from predators.
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