I had wanted to look into child safety on the internet and things parents can do to prevent their children from being exposed to sexual predators. I have an interest in this topic because I am a mother and would like to know things I can do to protect my son when he gets old enough to use the internet. I can also use the knowledge and tips I learn during my research on my niece and nephew now. I feel parents can have a big impact on how children use the internet and learn how to protect themselves from the sexual predators that are out there today.

When I first started to search through the internet library, I had a difficult time. I had started off searching for things the wrong way. Once I had reread the instructions multiple times it suddenly became clear to me and I could find the things I had been hoping to find to research. I feel my ability to use an internet library will now help me in the future. There are many different things that can be found in the libraries and they can be more resourceful than a regular internet search.

I think that my most important findings while researching were the different things that some kids are actually posting on the social networking sites. I feel this will give me the benefit of hitting the right topics when talking to kids about how to protect them. I think as an adult, we’d like to think some things aren’t needed to be discussed with kids and that they would just know better, but unfortunately, we’re wrong in our assumptions. I’d rather talk to them about things they may already know than to have to make them learn the hard way in this situation. I also think the websites I had discovered in one article on where to purchase additional software was also very helpful.

I think my investigation was limited because there are many articles on what kids do on the internet and things they shouldn’t do, but to actually find many articles on software to use was a task. I found that most articles were suggestions that others had on ways to talk to or block the kids from finding the websites, which is a huge help. I think we need to talk more about why it’s dangerous and why they need to be careful because, as the articles state, as kids get older, they find ways around the blocks in order to find the “adult sites” where a lot of predators are. I don’t think the kids fully understand the risks they put themselves in and we as adults need to find a way for them to fully understand the consequences.

The software that was released in 2009 called OnlineFamily.Norton appears to be good software created to help parents keep track of things the kids are doing online. Some of the highlights of this software are the reports it gives the parents of the kids activity online, if the child goes to an unapproved website, they receive a message that they are not allowed, the parent can see all the search phrases a child uses while online and the ones searched more often show in a larger print to be more noticeable to the parent, instant messaging can be viewed by the parents and they have the ability to block them, and if a child tries to create an account and lies about their age, the parents are notified of it. There were some glitches that had still to be worked out, but I think they were on the right track.

The most common suggestions for keeping kids safe are to talk to the kids about all of the dangers and how they can be simply avoided. Becoming involved in the kids’ lives and what they’re into is the best way to get them to listen to you. They will listen and they want to talk to their parents about all things. I think it’s the best way to become closer to the kids as well.


Works Cited

Baig, Edward. “Service helps parents keep a cyber eye on the kids.” USA Today. 04/23/2009: 06b. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 16 April 2011.

Baig describes a new software that was about to be released that can help parents keep track of what the kids do on the internet. The program gives the parents a report on what activity had taken place while the kids were online. Baig had given personal opinions on the software having used the beta program himself. I think this is a good option for parents to use alongside frequent talks with their kids.

Crimes Against Children Unit. “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety.” Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2001-00-00. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 16 April 2011.

This pamphlet describes signs that can show if a child is at risk when online and how you would recognize them. It explains different things you can do if you suspect that a child is talking to a sexual predator and how you can help to prevent it. It also gives some common terms and their definitions to help people to understand more fully. I think this is a great article to get a better understanding and to help parents become more involved.

Descy, Don. “Keeping Kids Safe Online.” Tech Trends. Volume 50, Number 5. 3-4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 16 April 2011.

Descy goes into brief detail on ways to help to prevent children from getting into websites that are unsuitable for children. He describes different approaches in which are available through the computers main program as well as which websites you can go to in order to purchase appropriate software as well as their prices. His different approaches seem relevant and easy to achieve.

Lenhart, Amanda and Madden, Mary. “Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks.” 18 April 2007. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Web. 16 April 2011.

The authors go into detail about what social networks kids are using and how they use them. There are many statistics given about things such as the sites kids use and the privacy they set and things they put up for all to see. It discusses how kids use the internet and the social networks with other kids. It shows that some households have more rules pertaining to the internet than any other type of media.

"How to Talk With Your Child About Cyberbullying." Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter 26.5 (2010): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

In this article it discusses how to get kids to understand how they can stop and avoid cyberbullying. Parents and teachers need to talk to kids about what they can do to avoid it and how they should use the internet properly.