Parental Control Needed to Ensure Youth Safety Online
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare – or one of them at least. Your child starts chatting with someone online and agrees to meet the person face-to-face, and discovers that the person isn’t a teenager. Task forces across the country set up “stings” aimed at catching adults who prey on young people by posing as teens online. But parents don’t have to wait for law enforcement to keep kids safe online.
“Keep teens out of online chatrooms. Interestingly, older teens are more at risk of being sexually exploited because their Internet use is often unsupervised, and the teens are more likely to talk about personal and sexual matters than a younger minor. Younger kids can face danger from online predators because the teens have a more trusting, unassuming nature; troubled teens looking for an understanding adult or emotionally vulnerable teen girls also are at risk.” [Source: The Clinton Herald]
Many parenting experts suggest that families have a centrally located computer – somewhere out in the open, where online chats can be observed. In addition, consider limiting, or eliminating, Internet access on your child’s phone. Set up rules regarding Internet use, and explain them fully to your kids. Explain why you’re doing it, and also what the consequences will be for broken rules.
Tags: children, internet, online, parents, safety, teens, youth
