Making Friends Online - Just Who Is Your Child Talking To?
Posted on January 9, 2008 - Filed Under Internet
The one thing that loving parents wish for is the ability to protect their children against any harm. When our children are young, they are safe because we keep them close to us and they feel safe because we chase away the monsters under the bed. Unfortunately, as they get older, things do not remain as simple and as wonderful as technological advances may be, they bring with them even more potential dangers. Nobody can be with their child every second of the day but we generally feel secure in the knowledge that at school they are surrounded by their peers and at home by their loving family. But what if this is not the case?
A lot of households have a computer and Internet access that the young people of the family can use. It can be a useful resource when completing homework, projects or basic research. Most schools teach children how to use computers and a lot of children have perused the Internet innocently. It is a fact that many children and teenagers who use the Internet frequent chat rooms probably out of curiosity. There are plenty of chat rooms that are aimed specifically at young people and it can be like having an instant pen pal. It is a great way to meet people of similar ages from all around the world but this is not always true.
The main point of the Internet is to interact and share information. But the main threat of the Internet is that we never know exactly who we are talking to. We only know what they tell us. A young person can enjoy having an online friend who they can confide in; after all, it can be easier to talk to a stranger through instant messaging than to a family member face to face. The problem therein is that not every person online tells the truth, in fact, most do not. That can be harmless enough but the real problem is when pedophiles and immoral adults frequent sites aimed at children and teenagers, pretend to be the same age and entice the innocent children to give out personal information, often persuading them to meet up.
This could be every parent’s worst nightmare and although it is difficult to think about, the possibility has to be addressed. Just who is your child talking to when you think they are safely indoors finishing their homework. Just who is your child confiding their woes in? Our children cannot be expected to as worldly as to realize when they are being lied to or manipulated, especially online. This is why the parents must ensure that their child is protected to the utmost. This can mean protecting the computer itself from certain websites, being able to monitor the child’s activity online and keeping in close touch with the child. If the child can turn to us and is educated in but not overly scared of the potential threats online, they can be more aware of their own naivety and in the future have enough information to judge just how innocent their conversations are.
Ruth is actively involved with the internet and she finds it very exciting. Her passions are people and pet health. She is a wife, a stepmom a dog owner and a business person. She is married for almost 30 years to Chris who has been, and still is, battling the monster MS. Cyber Crime, Identity Theft And Computer Hackers are a concern to Ruth. She is currently helping to fight the battle against cyber crime.
Her About Page: http://www.ruthbird.com
Her Fight Cyber Crime: http://www.cyber-protector.com
Her Stop-Cyber-Terrorism Blog - http://www.stopcyberterrorism.com/gethelp
Tags: computer protection, cyber security, internet security, online safety
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