Confronting a child about the dangers of going online is one thing. Actually witnessing a child suffering the dangerous con-sequences of the Internet is another.
That's why McClure Middle School last Thursday conducted a special seminar about "cyber bullying" for adults in the school's gymnasium.
Detective Melinda Wilson of the Seattle Police Department said the March 23 seminar was meant to open the eyes of parents who might be unaware of the dangers children face each time they log on to the computer. "[The Internet] is like a gun," Wilson said. "If you don't know how to use it wisely and safely, it can hurt you. It's so dangerous."
Online predators are a fairly new peril for most parents, many of whom aren't aware of that many online service providers allow children to create their own profiles and design their own Web pages, Wilson explained. Some of the most popular service providers, such as MySpace.com, are a new phenomenon, and are drug-like forces drawing in children across the globe, she added.
"Children are ideal victims because they're naturally curious," Wilson said. She described simple ways an online predator, using very little information, can track down a child.
"Tracking Teresa," a short video presented at the assembly, demonstrated how easy it is to gain access to a child's personal information, including date of birth, phone number, address and even time of day the child would be home alone.
"Go to Zabasearch.com," Wilson said. "It's pretty scary." Similar to the popular search engine Google, Zabasearch provides telephone numbers and addresses to any member of the public.
Wilson said she works undercover as an underage child to track online predators and divert the attention away from other kids that may find themselves in dangerous circumstances. She sets up a fake profile, has online conversations about engaging in sexual activities and sets up a time to meet with the suspect.
When the suspect shows up for the meeting, Wilson arrests him.
Setting up an Internet account is rather these days, she said. "Telling a child he can't go on MySpace at all is like trying to force water up a waterfall," Wilson said. "It just won't happen." Instead, she suggested that parents sit down with their children to help them understand the dangers of being online. She suggests setting up an Internet account that is exclusive and can't be accessed by simply anyone searching online.
"Does anyone know what A.S.L. means?" Wilson asked, surveying the room. Few adults raised their hands, but the youngest member of the audience did. "Age, sex, location," the youngster said. Parents stared at the child in awe.
"How about F.A.Q.?" Wilson then asked. Almost every hand flew in the air. "Frequently asked questions," she answered. "That's what kids need to know."
At the bottom of some Web sites, Wilson said, there are links - including FAQs - directing the user to privacy options that keep his or her profile invisible to uninvited eyes. Wilson said parents should sit down with their children and help them set up private accounts.
The Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force hosts a Web site aimed at protecting children from online predators. One case involved a 30something member of MySpace.com who claimed to be looking for a girlfriend. He never mentioned that he was a level-3 sex offender from Arizona.
In order to enable an account on a Web site like MySpace, a child under the age of 14 must misrepresent his or her name. Once logged in with a false age, however, children can access practically anything the Web has to offer - as well as making themselves accessible to others.
Wilson noted that many younger members have hundreds of "friends" on MySpace. "Kids are making up for social pop-ularity at school, or they're talking to strangers," she explained.
According to the NetSmartz Workshop, an online resource dedicated to helping children stay safe online, about 75 million kids have access to the Internet. In an Internet-related sexual abuse study, the majority of online victims were found to be between the ages of 12 and 16.
"That's because babysitters aren't needed anymore," Wilson said. During those ages, she added, most kids come home from school alone or with a friend, and wait until their parents return home from work. Many children will rush to the computer and log on for hours during this unsupervised time. "Give it enough time - you get bored with TV and venture out there," Wilson said, referring to the hours children spend online.
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