Free Website Content
Safety Online
The proliferation of computer technology
and emergence of the Internet has enhanced the lives
of children and adults. Increasing productivity and
efficiency, the Internet is a powerful educational tool,
and it provide youths a vast amount of information.
That said, it is important to remember that the Internet
can also be very dangerous. Criminals are using modern
technology to prey on innocent victims.
According to research, one in five youths,
ages 10-17, were approached online sexually or were
sexually solicited. The tool for the solicitation was
the Internet. In fact, 89% of those solicitations occurred
via chat rooms or with predators using instant messaging.
Additionally, nine out of ten children online, ages
8-16, have viewed pornography online. In most cases
the children unintentionally encountered pornography
while searching for an alternate item, but the statistic
is very telling.
In many ways, the Internet has made the
predators job easier, as the predators can hide behind
pseudonyms and screen names. The danger of the Internet
is persistent and very real because the Internet provides
predators anonymity. Online victimization differs little
from traditional victimization that happens in person,
the process is essentially the same. The perpetrator
uses information to target a child. Often solicitation
begins in the form of friendship, sharing hobbies and
interests. The predator then adapts the persona of who
their young victim wants them to be. Online predators
will often spend considerable time befriending a child.
The predator builds a level of trust with the victim.
No family is immune to the possibility
that their child will become an online victim. Older
children are at an increased risk, because they are
often online unsupervised. Teens or adolescents, who
are particularly rebellious or searching for their identity,
are often more susceptible to Internet predators.
Sadly, in almost all cases the interaction
begins as a harmless camaraderie and it evolves into
inappropriate sexually explicit conduct. Online crimes
often transcend jurisdictional boundaries, making it
difficult to prosecute or even track. And while cross-agency
support has been growing, its growth can not keep up
with the abundance of online crime. The Internet has
no boundaries, and there is not a centralized legal
body regulating crime on the Internet.
Remember, physical contact between a child
and perpetrator does not necessarily need to occur for
a crime to have been committed. In many cases, digitally
explicit material is emailed back and forth. Educating
our children is critical to keeping them safe.
If you are aware of an incident that involves
child exploitation via the Internet contact the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800.843.5678.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
NotePage http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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