Online Safety Resource
We deliver reasons and resources to help keep your family safe online.
I read this story at a
The parents were stunned. They just could not believe that a person could actually pinpoint where someone lives after putting in just a few facts about an individual.
That is not all. Internet Predators can even pull up a satellite image pinpointing your house.
"Internet pedophile jailed for six years" was the headline in the Herald Sun. That is a good news story but there is bad news that comes with this story. He was jailed for manipulating a 14-year-old girl into having sex with him, something that she may very well never completely get over.
The 36-year-old man pretended to be a 17-year-old boy in a chat room. They developed an online relationship in which the girl fell in love with him.
Then he pretended to be the boy's boss and met the girl on several occasions where she was pressured to consent to sexual activity with him. Do you see how these people think? The kids do not stand a chance against their grooming process.
The most alarming aspect of this distressing story is that it all happened when she was at home and her parents believed that she was secure and doing no more than her homework
Those stories might make you want to do away with the computer all together. That is just not an option in this day and age. The Internet is here and it is here to stay. Children just need to be educated on Internet safety. As with all education, they only get out of it what they want to learn. This is where parents come into the picture. Children need to be watched just as they were when you took them to a playground or a park when they were younger. The Internet, after all, is just an enormous playground.
Online Safety Tips
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Did you know that many children have two MySpace pages, one that they show their parents and one for their friends? It is important to look for both.
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Teach your children never to give out personal information (name, address, phone number, school, hometown) to people they meet online in chat rooms or on MySpace.
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Talk to children about not responding to offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat or other communications. Do not delete the offensive or dangerous e-mail; turn off the monitor, and contact local law enforcement.
Online Safety Resource recommended Monitoring Program - Webwatcher
- WebWatcher is extremely powerful and easy to use. Begin using immediately, without having to read a manual. The Internet Predators do not stand a chance with Webwatcher on your side.
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