Protecting your kids from cyber crimes

Date: September 11, 2008
Source: nbcaugusta.com


Augusta, Ga.- The World Wide Web is a tool used more and more by children. Yet, it's also a danger for kids. Experts say one out of seven children receive unwanted sexual solicitation. Parents learned how to prevent their child from becoming a victim at the Back to School Safety forum Wednesday night.

The main message was vigilance. Experts say parents need to knowing what their kids were doing and who they are interacting with on the internet.


Crime Stoppers and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia taught parents ways to protect children from cyber crimes.

“These cyber predators don't care. It's just getting inside, finding out the info over a period of time, then arrange what turns into a tragic meeting with young adults,” said Demery Bishop from Crime Stoppers.

It’s something Janet Porches fears.

“I have two kids. It's really difficult. They want to be in this and that. You're pulled this way and that. It's easy to get off track,” Porches said.

But she never forgets to watch what her children are doing when they are surfing the internet.

Studies show 70 percent of kids who use the internet are exposed to some sort of child pornography. Fifty percent admitted to speaking with strangers when they're online.

With about 80 percent of children having their own personal email accounts and profiles, experts say this type of access is a recipe for disaster, but there is a way you can tell if your child may be victim.

"If you walk into the room and the child clears the screen or turns off the computer, ask, 'why are you nervous when I walk into the room?' Also be aware of the types of cyber language, find out what it means," said Bishop.

Experts hope a proactive approach will help save a child from becoming a victim.

If your kids are browsing the internet, try to find kid-safe search engines.
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