Protect Your Child from Internet Predators

The family-oriented community of Northeast Cobb is no deterrent for online child predators who have instant access into any household through a computer.

By the time kids reach middle school, most of them are more computer-savvy than their parents. Their personal safety skills are still developing, which can make them vulnerable to sexual predators on social media sites, in chat rooms and through instant messaging, reports Cobb County police Precinct 4 in its July bulletin.

According to the FBI, children online are at the greatest risk in the evening. Although offenders are online around the clock, most work during the day and spend their evenings searching for child pornography or attempting to locate and lure children. Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims in chat rooms, then often communicate through email.

The FBI's Parent Guide to Internet Safety recommends that you monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications, such as chat rooms and instant messaging, in addition to email. That guide includes tips to help you recognize whether your child has been exposed to an online predator and what steps to take.

Parents should teach and reinforce the following rules for safe Internet use by their children:

• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you meet online.

• Never upload pictures of yourself to people you do not know offline.

• Never give out identifying information such as your name, home address, school name or telephone number, and remember that calling a number provided by someone you meet online can reveal your own number.

• Never download pictures from an unknown source.

• Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent or harassing.

• Sexual predators are the best of con artists. Remind your child that it is difficult to verify information they are provided and that it is a chance not worth taking.