To Protect the Innocent
Learning to keep sexual predators at bay
And it bears repeating: While the Internet is by now an integral part of your teen's life, it remains a threat to unsuspecting kids. By the teen years, most parents know they should meet their kids' friends and the friends' parents. But "you have got to supervise them in the virtual world, too," says McBride. Many adolescents have websites, complete with photos, the name of their schools, the areas in which they live, and sometimes their addresses. Web space is available to anyone who wants to sign on--no proof of identity required. And despite their digital sophistication, too many kids don't realize that while most cyberfriends are likely to be who they say they are, some are adults posing as peers. "Teenagers do not understand that it's like they were running up and down the interstate putting up fliers about themselves, " McBride says. "They do not understand that [people] could track somebody that way." (Privacy debate aside, parents can buy software that tracks all activity on their home computer.) Her advice: "Ask your child what they're doing online. Let them know that somebody you meet online is not your friend." And make it clear to your children that if they come to you with a suspicion about a Web acquaintance, they will not be punished. Teens "fear that parents are going to pull the plug," she says. "It's better to deal with the problem than forbid the child."
Digital Defenses
There are now several online resources that offer help to parents:
parentsformeganslaw.com A clearinghouse of information about child sexual abuse; it also links to--and rates--all state registries.
prevent-abuse-now.com Offers statistics; tracks laws and media reports.
stopitnow.com A nonprofit foundation that offers resources and information about child sex abuse.
csom.org The website of the Department of Justice Center for Sex Offender Management.
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