New York Resident

Online chat spaces create significant safety concerns for parents
by Victoria Pericon

Every year, 1 in 5 children between the ages of 10 and 17 receive a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet. With millions of children in chat rooms, parents must take action to protect their children from these online predators. One problem is that many children are far more computer savvy than their parents.

Katie Kimple, Senior Director of YNet (www.bgcayouthnet.org), a secure, public site developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, aims to help youth across the nation safely share information and learn to navigate the Internet while gaining basic skills in the areas of technology and education. According to Kimple, a recent survey revealed some startling statistics about how parents are supervising their children's online time. Kimple discovered “more than half of young people say their parents never ask them about whom they are talking to on the Internet and 55 percent say their parents never surf the Internet with them.”

Dr. Andy McGarrahan, child psychologist at Children's Medical Center Dallas declares “Parents need to find out more about these websites to learn what can and can't be done on them.” Trudy W. Schuett teaches blogging (http://q22.blog-city.com) and has noticed that a lot of younger users tend to feel too secure online. “It's as if they don't recognize how very public these websites are, and think only their friends or people they know will be viewing their material.”

Robert Siciliano, author of "The Safety Minute : 01”, suggests parents become fully informed. “Go online to Google and search ‘children security online’ and read everything that comes up. Purchase and install software that gives you screenshots of your child's activities,” says Siciliano.

Siciliano also suggests having a discussion with your children once you are fully educated. He also points out that a computer in a child's bedroom is “like locking your kid in a room with a pervert. The computers monitor should be seen by the parent at all times.”

Vicki Courtney, who conducts Internet safety workshops for parents and tackles the issue of safely surfing the Internet in her latest book, "Your Boy" (Broadman & Holman, April 2006), agrees with Siciliano. “Keep the computer your kids use in a central location of the home, preferably in a room that gets passed through fairly often. The kitchen and living room are good choices.”

Courtney also suggests installing a filter on all your home computers. While there are plenty of filters available, she uses Safe Eyes which is available for less than $50 and was recently ranked the #1 filter by Consumer Reports. “You decide which categories you want to block from each of your kids. You can also block Internet access during certain times of the day and have different settings for each child. It will even email you a report or send you a text message if your child attempts to visit banned websites.” Courtney also tells teens “If you receive a sexual solicitation, copy and paste it in an email and send it to CyberTipline.com.”

This article was written by Victoria Pericon.
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