Internet safety for kids

Duke · 04-14-2005, 05:51 AM

From the main page:

We've all either read or heard stories about children being contacted, stalked, molested, or even worse by online predators. The family PC is a hunting ground for some individuals looking to prey on the unsuspecting child but there are things you can do to minimize the risk.

MSN Family has posted a great article, right with links that help parents understand how to protect their children online. It's a great read and a must for anyone who's concerned about their child being victimized.

Star · 04-14-2005, 06:48 AM

great article!

I was always very careful with my kids and the computer. in fact, i wouldn't let kassandra go online at all until last year. Krystal used to sneak onto my computer at night when we were all asleep (even when i passworded it!!). I found out when grown 30 year old men were calling for her from places in the states. We had this huge phone bill (almost 1,000.00) one month from her calling different places in the states. after that, I really passworded everything on my computer so that she couldn't get into it ever again. She put us all at high risk. I don't allow her to touch my computer when she's here visiting.

I monitor kassandra's activities on the computer closely. Never found anything troubling yet from her. The internet can be a very scary place where kids are concerned. They can let strangers into their homes through the computer whihc is the scary thing. You see the horror stories all over the news.

darkangelism · 04-14-2005, 10:32 AM

both me and my brother had the internet until we got caught with stuff we shouldnt be doing and got punished.

Paul · 04-14-2005, 10:39 AM

I've been online since I was 15, I still have the first hotmail email address I ever had (it's the one I use for MSN). My parents use to watch me like a hawk, it's probably a good thing though I despised it very much.

Star · 05-07-2005, 03:41 PM

here's a scary example of what can happen to kids that aren't monitored on the internet.

Krystal's oldest sister's friend went into chat rooms. she used to contact these MEN (she was just 14 years old at that time) by phone. well, one day, she decided to go and meet with a man she met online. She ended up getting raped over and over again, tortured and held prisoner for days. She managed to get away and survived which was very lucky for her.

This girl lived in my city.

I got the internet in 1996. for years I wouldn't allow my kids to even go anywhere near the computer with the internet. I started letting kassandra using the internet only about 2 years ago (when she was 11) and I do monitor her closely. The computer is in the dining room where every can see what's going on on the screen. I'd rather be safe then sorry.

It can happen anywhere. It's very real which makes it very scary.

darkangelism · 05-07-2005, 03:43 PM

did they ever catch that sicko? The internet can be a bad place, my parents are paranoid about it and everything is monitored.

Star · 05-07-2005, 03:46 PM

I think they caught the guy. don't know what kind of jail time he got though.

Vautrin · 05-07-2005, 06:08 PM

That is a sad story, Star. I only started IMing regularly a couple of months ago, and before that, it was very occasional. I am 25 years old, mind you.

But I often wonder, why people, knowing that there are all kinds of sicko's in chatrooms, still frequent these places. Is it naivite? Do these kids believe that what is typed must be true? Or do they think, that they are mature already, and are in total control of the situation?

It is like a game of chess on the internet. You can play someone of your level, and you can play a grandmaster, but you won't know. You can even play a machine, i.e. someone who cheats. You will only know afterwards. Or when you have a reasonable grasp on how a cheater operates. Kids of 14 or 15 don't know the difference.

The most important thing is to teach kids not to meet strangers over the internet, or in real life. Internet creates a sense of familiarity which is oftentimes very deceptive.

Star · 05-07-2005, 06:11 PM

and it's not just the kids. Montel had an internet horror show on last week. this woman met "the man of her dreams" on the internet. she decided to go and live with him. turned out he was a child molester and he molested her little girl along with the neighborhood kids. She thought he was the nicest man she ever met!

These are the reasons why I would never look for love on the net. You just never know.

Duke · 05-07-2005, 08:55 PM

It's not just love on the net mind you, you never really know the person you meet at the library, bar, supermarket, etc. It takes time to get to know a person, regardless of where you meet them.

Star · 05-07-2005, 09:05 PM

yes but at least you can see the person's face when you meet them in the bar or library. you see their eyes when they talk to you. I don't know about you but talking to someone in person eye to eye tells me a lot about the person. more so then someone on the net that i can't see. they can send you a picture but how would you know for sure that it's a picture of them and not the neighbour?

Fact is that anyone can be anybody they want on the net. For example, how do you know for sure that I am a married female with 2 kids and a grandchild? you really don't know that for sure 100% right? I could be a man pretending to be something i'm not and you wouldn't know the difference.

I am who I say I am BTW. I am an honest person online and offline. LOL! I was just using myself as an example.

Duke · 05-07-2005, 09:21 PM

I'm not that great at reading people and end up getting suckered a lot in real life. I give too much and there's not a lot of people that like to return. I believe there are a lot of good people online, look at this place, we have some of the finest members anywhere.

Star · 05-07-2005, 09:45 PM

I agree with you about this place. I too think that these members are all awesome people. What I mean to say is that people shouldn't be too quick to "believe" people online about who they are. you just never know who you might end up with. That's what scares me the most about meeting people in real life from online. you just don't know. I would never take that chance because it wouldn't be just me in danger, it would be my whole family. too scary for me.

i am a pretty good people reader in real life. i can usually tell a BS'er from an honest person by looking at them in the eyes and talking with them.

Merika · 05-08-2005, 07:49 PM

Most adults in long distance relationships or meeting for dating purposes use web cams. I've never given it a second thought.....however, I rarely date anyone not in the military and checking them out with a minimum amount of information is easy enough. The worse that can happen, which is bad enough, is not to be sure of their marriage status....but you never really know about that face to face either.

How someone MARRIES a complete freak baffles me. It would seem that a person would pick up on that. Then again, maybe not. It's always a judgement call and in human error.....I guess it's easy enough to call it wrong. I don't think at all that this is more likely to happen on the internet though. I bet the internet percentage of finding weido's is less than real life.

Teens and kids though are often less discerning though. I think it's healthier for them to hang around kids they go to school with.