Internet Sexual Predators Sexual predators surf the Internet seeking
potential victims in cyberspace

One in five children between 10 and 17 years of age has reported receiving
an unwanted sexual solicitation while online, a new study finds. (ABC news)
There are approximately 100,000 web sites that show simulated or real child
pornography. (CNN news)

I follow many of the news stories about Internet predators and they are
becoming an all too frequent event. A sampling of recent news headlines
demonstrates how the Internet can be another danger for our children: 13-
year-old Danbury Connecticut girl murdered by internet predator, missing
California teen found with NC man she met on Internet, Colorado child-porn
internet case may involve 50 girls, New Hampshire cyber stalking nearly
proved fatal for 8th grader, teen-age Florida girl lured to Greece over the
Internet, and a kidnapped California 13 year old found tied up in the home
of the man she met on the internet. By educating children about Internet
safety, we can enhance a child or teen¡¦s fun and learning, while
minimizing the risks of online activity.


The following FBI warning signs for parents might indicate that a child is
at risk on-line:

Their child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.
You find pornography on your child's computer.
Your child receives phone calls from men you don't know or is making calls,
sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on
the monitor when you come into the room.
Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.
Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.


There are many precautions that can minimize the risk of a child from
becoming an on-line victim:

Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and
potential on-line danger.
Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line and set
reasonable guidelines for computer use. There is much more to the on- line
experience than chat rooms.
Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their
favorite on-line destinations and get to know your child's online
friends.
Consider using a pseudonym, avoid listing your child's name and E- mail
address in any public directories and profiles, and find out about your
ISP's privacy policies and exercise your options for how your personal
information may be used.
Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's
bedroom.
Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking
software, but do not totally depend on them.
Be aware that your child could be contacted through the U.S. Mail.
Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they
met on- line.
Never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on- line
service to people they do not personally know.
Never give out identifying information such as their name, home address,
school name, or telephone number.
Never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance
there could be sexually explicit images.
Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive,
obscene, belligerent, or harassing. Always remember the information
received on-line may not be true and people online may not be who they
seem.
Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and consider
randomly checking his/her e-mail.
Advise youth that there is no complete privacy on the Internet.
Help children find a balance between computer time and other activities.
People, not computers, should be their best friends. Online services should
not be used as electronic babysitters.
Teach children to never respond to e-mail, chat comments or newsgroup
messages that are hostile, belligerent, inappropriate or in any way make
them feel uncomfortable.
Teach children to tell their parents right away about anything online that
makes them feel uncomfortable.
Never give out your Internet password to anyone except family members.
Use the cyberspace tip line to report improper use of the internet. What
should parents do if they suspect their child is communicating with a
sexual predator on-line?
Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them
about the dangers of computer-sex offenders.
Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a
friend, co-worker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or
any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.
Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child. Most
telephone companies that offer Caller ID also offer a service that allows
you to block your number from appearing on someone else's Caller ID.
Telephone companies also offer an additional service feature that rejects
incoming calls that you block. This rejection feature prevents computer-sex
offenders or anyone else from calling your home anonymously.
Devices can be purchased that show telephone numbers that have been dialed
from your home phone. Additionally, the last number called from your home
phone can be retrieved provided that the telephone is equipped with a
redial feature. You will also need a telephone pager to complete this
retrieval. This is done using a numeric-display pager and another phone
that is on the same line as the first phone with the redial feature. Using
the two phones and the pager, a call is placed from the second phone to the
pager. When the paging terminal beeps for you to enter a telephone number,
you press the redial button on the first (or suspect) phone. The last
number called from that phone will then be displayed on the pager.
Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications
(i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat, etc.), and
monitor your child's e-mail. Computer-sex offenders almost always meet
potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child on- line, they will
continue to communicate electronically often via e-mail. Should any of the
following situations arise in your household, via the Internet or on-line
service, you should immediately contact your local law enforcement agency.
Your child received child pornography. Your child has been sexually
solicited by someone who knows that your child is under 18 years of age.
Your child has received sexually explicit images from someone that knows
your child is under the age of 18.