Atlantic County Sheriff's Office

PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN IN CYBERSPACE

by Capt. Joseph Bruno

Children and teenagers receive many benefits from being online, but they can also become targets of crime and exploitation. When you allow your children online, you are allowing them to play with strangers. This is why it is important to make them "street smart". Unlike running into a stranger on the street or in the park, they are at no immediate physical risk. However, by learning what the dangers are and how to protect themselves your children will be perfectly safe.

Although there have been some highly publicized cases of abuse involving computers, reported cases are relatively infrequent. However, many crimes against children go unreported, particularly when the child is involved in an activity he or she does not want to discuss with a parent. This is not a reason to avoid using online services any more then the fact that children have been molested in school is a reason for them to forgo schooling.

What are the Risks?

There are a few risks for children who use online services. Teenagers are more at risk as they often use the computer unsupervised and they are more likely to participate in online discussions regarding companionship, relationships or sexual activity. Some of the risks are:

Exposure to Inappropriate Material - Material of a sexual or violent nature.
Physical Molestation - This is a risk only when a child provides information or arranges an encounter that puts him or her at risk, or members of the family at risk. In some cases, pedophiles have used online services to gain a child's confidence and then arrange a face to face meeting.
Harassment - There are E-mail and/or bulletin board messages that can be harassing, demeaning or belligerent.
How Can You Reduce the Risks - May commercial online services and some private boards have systems in place for parents to block out parts of the service they feel are inappropriate for their children. On the Internet there are services and/or software such as Net Nanny , Cyber Sitter, Tattle-Tale (allows you to see and backtrack to sites your children have visited), Surfwatch and Cyberpatrol which perform the same functions.

Guidelines for Parents - Take responsibility for your children's online usage. You can greatly reduce the risk of being online by making sure your children obey the following rules.

1. Never give out any identifying information (name, address, phone number, etc.) in a public message, such as a chat room or bulletin board. Make sure you're dealing with someone you know and trust before giving information out by E-mail. Give careful consideration before giving out personal information. If your service allows it consider using a pseudonym.

2. Get to know the services your child uses. If you don't know how, get your child to show you how to log on so you can find out what type of information the service offers and if there are ways to block out objectionable information.

3. Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without your permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public place and be sure to accompany your child.

4. Never respond to bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening or make you feel uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter these messages. Stress to them that these messages are not their fault and that they will not be punished. If messages such as these are sent to your child save them and forward a copy to your service provider and ask for their assistance. If you are unsure of what to do, contact your local police department or the Sheriff's Office.

5. Should you become aware of the transmission, use or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this to your local police, the Sheriff's Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678). You should save any material to give to the authorities.

6. Remember that people online may not be who or what they seem. Because you can't see or hear them it is easy for someone to misrepresent themselves indicating that "she" is a 12 year old girl, who in reality is a 35 year old man.

7. Remember that everything you read online is not necessarily true. Any offer that is too good to be true probably is. Be extremely careful of any offers that involve a face-to-face meeting or having someone visit your house.

8. Set reasonable rules and guidelines for your children. Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Monitor their compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time they spend online. A child or teenagers excessive use of an online service, especially late, at night may be a clue to a potential problem. Online services are not electronic baby-sitters.

9. Be sure to make this a family activity. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather then your child's bedroom. Get to know their online friends just as you get to know their other friends.

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