One of the most dangerous, insidious aspects of the Internet is the targeting of children by online sexual predators. These criminals employ a series of clever, manipulative tactics to reach out to children in an effort to get them to meet in person. Any parent with children who use the Internet should be aware of the following strategies employed by online predators.
Strategies of online predators

• Targeting children who are new to the Internet. Children who are unaware of the hidden dangers of the Internet make easy prey for online predators.
• Sending gifts to children in the mail. Many online predators will attempt to curry favor with children by sending expensive gifts to their home address. This is one of the primary reasons why parents must insist that children NEVER give out their personal information online.
• Targeting kids who are confused about their sexual identity. Predators can seem supportive and understanding to kids who need to talk about their sexual identity issues, when in reality, they are simply gathering information to use against them in the future.
• Focusing on kids with problems at home. Just as in the last point, online predators will gather at sites and chat rooms where kids come to talk about their problems at school or in the home. The predators know that these kids are most vulnerable and prone to their manipulative tactics.
• Online predators test the child’s comfort levels. Many online predators move slowly, befriending the young person before moving in for a meeting or sexual discussions online. Others, if they feel the child is open to it, will immediately begin explicit conversations with the child and use it to build a bond between them. Either way, these are highly manipulative individuals who know how to reach a child where they are most vulnerable.

Helping your kids avoid online predators.

The following tips will help parents keep their kids safe from online predators, while still giving them the freedom to use the Internet and learn valuable life skills:

• Talk to them about the dangers that exist online. Parents should learn everything they can about online predators and cyberbullying, then share that information in an open and honest dialogue with their children.
• Monitor their computer use. As a parent, you can’t be everywhere all the time, but you can limit the bulk of your child’s online time to periods when adults are present. Create “online family” time and use these moments to learn more about your kids and what they like to do.
• Instruct your kids to tell an adult if they feel threatened or uncomfortable while online. Many kids who encounter online predators never tell an adult because they are too embarrassed. Make sure they know that the best thing to do is tell their parents or teachers IMMEDIATELY when they encounter a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable.

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Tags: child cyberbullying, online predators

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 11:43 am and is filed under Cyber Bullying Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.