A Warning to Parents about Teen Internet Use
“You know your kids’ friends from school. But do you know who your kids are talking to online?” Protecting you kids from sexual predators just got harder.
Parents around the country are finding that keeping kids safe involves more than just keeping them home. The Internet has changed how sexual predators gain access to kids and teens. Social networking web sites like MySpace.com are types of Internet meeting places. They allow users to create profile pages that list their interests, hobbies, and other personal details, including photos, personal information and even cell phone numbers. Anyone can go to the site and create a personal web page at no cost. The site allows total strangers to view the profiles and contact each other based on the age, sex, individual interests or geographical information contained in each profile. Fifty percent of teens ages 13-18 frequently communicate online with someone they’ve never met in person, according to an October 2005 survey by the Polly Klaas Foundation. Not everyone is honest about his or her background. From the comfort of their own homes, sexual predators can cultivate relationships with your children by posing as teens themselves. Young teens think they are exchanging emails with kids their own age. The predators manipulate the teens into believing that they have a romantic relationship. The data shows that predators may be of any age or sex. How to keep your kids safe: Talk to your kids about not sharing personal information online. This includes: * photos * names * addresses * schools they attend * names of their school teams * ethnic background * where your child works * cell and home phone numbers * names of malls you go to * any private information (e.g. any discussion of sex) Establish rules about what your kids do on the Internet Keep the computer in a public place in your home with the screen facing out. Look at the screen while your kids are online to see what they are doing. Establish clearly that if a child is going to meet a person he or she has only met on the Internet, it must be with your permission, in a very public place, and that you or another trusted adult must be present. Learn how your computer works. Go behind the scenes. Ask a computer –savvy adult friend to show you how to check your computer to see where your children have been online. Check files and diskettes, too. Monitoring software is also available. Minnesota Attorney General’s Office/1400 Bremer Tower/445 Minnesota St./St. Paul, MN 55101
Tips for Teens: Online Safety Do you think you really know that cute boy you met online after hours of messaging? He’s actually a 57 year old recently –paroled rapist. Protect Yourself: Keep Your Identity Private If you are in any type of public web site, don’t give out your name, address, cell or other phone number, school name, work location or any other information that could help someone figure out who you are or where you live, work or go to school. Don’t give out information on family and friends, either. Think twice before posting your picture. Sexually suggestive photos are likely to draw attention from sexual predators. The photo may also be quite embarrassing for you when viewed by your family, people you know from your neighborhood, from work and church. When You Are Online, Anyone Can See and Read What You Post * Your friends * Sex offenders * Your teachers * Employers * Your parents * Scholarship committees * Your coach Never post anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t want the WHOLE WORLD to know. Never Get Together with Someone You “Meet” Online The biggest danger to your safety is getting together with someone you “meet’ online. You can never be positive that people you meet online are who they say they are. For example, some sex offenders surf social networking sites for victims. Between 1996 and 2004, the FBI opened 11,855 cases nationwide involving sexual predators trying to lure minors through chat rooms and other computer links. That statistic doesn’t even include incidents involving young adults. Protect yourself against sexual assault, stalking, identity theft and burglary by not posting personal information. Discuss all your meeting plans with your parents. Never Respond to Messages That Are Hostile or Inappropriate If you get a message that is hostile or inappropriate, don’t respond. Instead, show the message to your parents or another trusted adult to see if there is anything that can be done to put a stop to it. Minnesota Attorney General’s Office/1400 Bremer Tower/445 Minnesota St./St. Paul, MN 55101