Internet "Predators" Usually Look for Teens Instead of Kids

What This Means to You

This study’s authors say that the strategies usually recommended to parents, like monitoring kids’ Internet activity and encouraging them not to give out personal info, might not be enough to help them fend off online sex offenders. Even social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook) didn't seem to increase kids' risks of being targeted by online "predators" at all, they say.

Still, just as you wouldn't let your kids linger in a seedy bar or party the night away at a club, it's important to make sure they have boundaries and rules in their virtual world, too — where they can go on the Internet, what they can do, and with whom (and how) they should communicate through email, chat rooms, instant messaging online, or text messaging on cell phones.

To help reduce some of the risks of cyberspace — from lurking pedophiles and online porn to violent games and cyberbullying — educate yourself about the websites your kids use and visit. You can start by asking them, of course, but don't hesitate to double-check on your own.

An easy and free way to find out what your kids are doing online is to look at the "recent history" of searched terms and sites visited. At the top of your Internet browser just click on the pull-down arrows next to the field where you enter in website addresses (you'll see a list of the most recently visited sites) and next to any search bars you've installed (for easy access to search engines like Google and Yahoo) to see the most recent searches.

Here are some other simple things you can do to keep kids and teens safe online:

• Put the computer in a common area — not in their rooms.
• Know who your kids are "talking" to online. And make sure they know what's appropriate to say, write, send, and receive — and what's not.
• Make sure they're not using provocative usernames or email addresses that could attract virtual predators or unwanted sexual advances (from adults or other young users).
• Tell them it's never OK or safe to post or share revealing or suggestive pictures and videos online (or on their cell phones).
• Caution them about making sexual comments and striking up sexually explicit conversations on the Net — especially in chat rooms (where things can get racy) and with people they've never met or anyone who says (or seems like) they're an adult.
• Use safety features provided by your Internet service provider (ISP) or buy special filtering or blocking software to keep your kids from entering private chat rooms and to prevent potential predators (or bullies) from contacting your kids through instant messaging programs.
• Bookmark favorite sites so that it's less likely they'll stumble upon sexually explicit content because of a simple typo.
• Talk to school administrators about their "rules of conduct" for in-school Internet and cell phone use.
• Keep records of any harassing, hurtful, threatening, or sexually graphic email, text, or instant messages to share with your ISP and/or the police.
• Make sure your kids know that, although it's perfectly natural and OK to be curious and have sexual feelings during the preteen and teen years, it's not appropriate — or legal — to have a romantic or sexual relationship with an adult.

Above all, encourage your children to come to you whenever they encounter anything — or anyone — that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe either online or off.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD Date reviewed: February 2008

Source: "Online 'Predators' and Their Victims: Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention," the American Psychological Association's journal, American Psychologist, February/March 2008.