A few weeks ago I was in one of the local computer stores. A mother and her son (approximately 8 years old) were speaking to a technician regarding the son’s laptop computer and the difficulties he was having accessing the Internet and chatting on-line with his friends. The technician was explaining that he could not perform a diagnostic on the laptop without the password. When his mother asked her son to give the technician the password he refused. The boy did not want his mother to know his password. The situation was resolved when the mother agreed to allow her son to whisper the password to the technician so she could not hear it.
I can recall many conversations with my son and daughter when they were children. We would often have discussions about things they wanted to do but were not old enough to realize the inherent dangers involved. I suppose it didn't help having a dad with an RCMP and security background, but I found other parents were not as aware or informed as they should be about their children's safety. At the end of the day it was not a matter of trust for Christine and Eric but rather a matter of their personal safety.
Each of us is entitled to our privacy. As parents it can sometimes be difficult when, for safety reasons, it becomes necessary to breach the privacy of our children. This is particularly the case today with all ages taking advantage of Social Networking on the Internet. The definition of 'friend' on the internet is evolving into a very loose term meaning someone you know, someone they know or even someone you don't know but appear to have similar interests.
This is a lot written about the issue of 'Safety' for our children when we allow them on-line. Take a few minutes to consider the following and make a point of discussing these issues with your children. Each of you make your own decisions regarding the dilemma faced by the mother in the computer store - was this a 'trust' or a 'safety' issue? How did this situation evolve in the parenting of this child? How would you have handled it?
One of the biggest risks for children surfing and chatting online is the risk of Internet Child Stalking. Children can easily become prey to sexual predators as many of these individuals are found in chat rooms and forums that are frequented by children.
Internet Child Stalking is a reality in today's computer-savvy world and children need to be taught about cyber safety. This knowledge is also important in their day-to-day lives should child predators try to contact them outside the cyber world.
Cyber stalking is very dangerous because many times these stalkers take the relationship offline and start harassing children through snailmail and phone calls. If the child has revealed their home address, the stalker may also find their way to your house looking for the child. Once a stalker tries to take the relationship with the child offline, he or she (the stalker) becomes an imminent threat to your child and family. If this happens, you should immediately contact the police.
When it comes to Internet Child Stalking, invariably stalkers present a profile or an identity that appeals to children. Then they proceed to seek the child's trust and forge a relationship. Once the relationship is solid, the stalker then proceeds to milk the child of his or her personal information. This is serious stuff and parents, can not possibly supervise their child's internet use 24 hours a day.
Parents need to take Internet Stalking seriously and though you may not be able to restrict your child from accessing online chat rooms and forums, through proper education and frank discussion, you can make it more difficult for child stalkers to get access to your child.
Please pass this concern on to your friends!
