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PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN ON THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY
Children are at a much higher risk of becoming victims of Internet crimes than most parents realize. While online computer exploration opens a world of possibilities for children, it can also open the door to dangerous sexual predators. A recent study suggests almost 20 percent of children who use the Internet regularly have received a sexual solicitation in the past year. Dr.
Gail Gross, a nationally recognized family and child development expert, educates parents about the risks the Internet can bring to their children and offers tips on how to keep them safe.
Key Risks
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Exposure to inappropriate material. Unsuitable
material that is sexual, hateful or violent
in nature is frequently circulated online.
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Physical molestation. Many child predators
try to take online encounters offline. Providing personal
information and arranging a face-to-face meeting can
jeopardize the safety of the entire family.
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Harassment. Online relationships can become
more harassing, demeaning and aggressive than personal
ones.
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Financial and legal consequences. Children
can find themselves in situations where they have compromising
parent’s financial information or another person’s
rights without knowing it.
Dr. Gross’s Tips to Minimize Your
Child’s Threat of
Being an Online
Victim
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Keep the computer in a
common room in the house, not in your
child’s bedroom.
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Use parental controls from your Internet
provider or blocking software;
however, do not rely on this as the only
form of monitoring.
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Communicate with your child about online
dangers and encourage them to
share their online experiences with you.
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Always maintain access
to your child’s
account and randomly check
disks, Web history and e-mails.
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Teach your child responsible use of the
Web and limit their time online.
There is much more to the Web than chat rooms, and
there is much more to childhood
than the Web.
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Research what computer
safeguards are being used in your child’s school, public
libraries and in close friends’ homes.
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Dr. Gail Gross is a nationally recognized expert on juvenile education and development issues, and an advocate for the interests of children
. She is a host of her own radio show "Let's Talk."
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