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How to Protect Your Child from Internet Predators
Expert Advice for Parents from LightLogger Keylogger
- Graphic pornography,
sexual predators, cyber bullies, sexting, addictive online gaming-all
make the internet a dangerous place for children. No
safeguard stands between the internet and your child except your
involved, informed parenting. This article from LightLogger
Keylogger
presents effective, practical steps you can take to protect your
child from one of those threats, online sexual predators.
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- Internet sexual predators
establish virtual relationships with children with the intention of
luring them into real meetings where the predator can sexually
exploit them. Statistics show that most instances of sexual
predation begin in internet chat rooms. Later, the predator uses a
child’s postings on social networking sites to discover his or
her likes and dislikes, information about his or her home and
school, and where he or she will be at specific times. Typically,
the predator patiently instills in the child a sense of trust before
introducing explicit conversations about sex and arranging an actual
meeting.
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- To protect your child
from online predators, first implement a comprehensive internet
protection plan. Use the free resources offered online at Internet
Safety 101,
including the written rules, software tools, youth pledge, and
appropriate age-based guidelines for your child. Experts on internet
safety recommend parents of children 18 and under establish
clear, written rules for their kids’ online behavior and
use software tools to filter and monitor their kids’ activity.
Both the rules and tools should be appropriate to your child’s age. When
installing software, include an activity monitor like LightLogger
Keylogger,
a website filter, and a child-safe browser for younger children.
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- Now take these additional
steps to protect your child:
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- Keep your child’s
internet-connected computer in an open area out of your child’s
bedroom.
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Explain to your child that
bad people sometimes contact children on the internet. Have your
child promise to tell you about any uncomfortable or threatening
experiences he or she has online.
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Require that your child gets
your permission before meeting in person anyone he or she meets or
befriends online.
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Require that your child gets
your permission before entering any online chat room.
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Require that your child gets
your permission before telling anyone online where and when he or
she will be at any time.
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Require that your child gets
your permission before sending his or her picture or a family
member’s picture to others online or using a cell phone.
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Require that you know all
your child’s internet IDs, passwords, chat names, gamer tags,
and social networking profile names.
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Spot check your child’s
online activity occasionally with your monitoring software.
LightLogger Keylogger,
an inexpensive, easy-to-use monitoring tool, is ideal for this
purpose, since it records many types of activity and can take
images periodically of your monitor’s content.
- Remember that being
actively involved and interested in your child’s online life
is the most important tool you have.
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- Read all the articles
on internet safety from HeavenWard.