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Internet Dangers

Most parents assume that pornography and sexual predators are the only dangers their children face on the internet. While these are certainly a huge concern, there are other dangers lurking in the dark corners of the net. These include the following: areas that foster hate crimes, sites that teach children how to make bombs and other weapons, forums to discuss the best ways to commit suicide, sites that encourage the use of drugs, and even areas where children watch others take drugs via webcams. The John Walsh Show recently aired an episode where teenagers watched as a young man died from an overdose of drugs. You can view more about this by clicking here . As parents, you need to know the dangers that exist on the internet, and arm yourself with the tools and rules to prevent your child from becoming a victim.

Statistics show that 20 percent of children have been solicited online and 25 percent have received unwanted pornography online. Of the 3 million unique users under seventeen that visited adult sites in September of 2000, 21.2% of them were under the age of 14. More than half of teenagers have visited Internet sites containing pornography, offensive music lyrics, gambling or messages of violence or hate. Federal online child pornography cases jumped from 127 in 1995 to 510 in 1999. In 1998 the FBI opened up 700 cases dealing with online pedophilia, most for posting child pornography. By 2000 that figure quadrupled to 2,856 cases. One third of parents in households with Internet access said they used filtering or blocking software.

Warning Signs To Watch For

Your child quickly changes what is on the screen when you walk in the room.

* Your child stays up late at night talking to friends online.

* You notice links to sexually-explicit or inappropriate sites in the history section of the browser.

Tools To Help You Protect Your Kids

Common sense and parental guidance are the leading tools for protecting your children from online dangers. However, it is unreasonable to expect that parents can know what their children are doing at all times. There are many Internet safety tools available to help you monitor your children's pc activities. Explore the links on the Parental Contol Software page to see what products are available that will help you protect your child from danger.