Today’s lifestyle includes computers and the internet for people of all ages, including the very youngest. Nothing is wrong with that. In fact, most people will agree that computer and internet use will help to open up the world in front of children, and provide them access to information, cultures, education, and other ways of life that would not otherwise be so readily available to them.
However, it has also become clear that the internet exposes children to dangers that they would not otherwise have had to face. The truth is that there are people out there who prey on the young because they’re easy targets and aren’t as suspicious as many adults have become through life experience. These people will, over time, draw in their child targets through kindness, affection, and even the offer or sending of presents. This is usually a practice that will take quite a length of time, and even money, but they will often take this time to achieve their goal – lowering the defenses and suspicions of the children and slowly introducing sexual content into their online contacts. Then again, there are others who will immediately jump into an explicitly sexual conversation with children.
It is therefore important that parents and caregivers understand that their children are always at somewhat of a risk with every conversation or online chat that they have, especially in the case of contact where sexually explicit material and information is exchanged. All too frequently, those adults who prey on children online will try to further their contact by meeting “in real life” for a direct act. Parents must understand that what starts on the computer doesn’t always remain on the computer and that this fact is a serious risk for their own children.
Therefore, it is very important that parents take action to monitor the online activities of their children. This should include implementing “parent controls” on the computer with password protected programs, and the screening of accessible websites. Furthermore, as a parent or guardian, you must be willing to take the time to watch over the online activities of your children just to make sure. There is only so much that an online control program can do. By monitoring the activities yourself, you can make certain that there aren’t any predators after your own child.