ABUSE MAGAZINE kids have been kidnapped , sexually assaulted , or even murdered after meeting someone from a chat room . Our ultimate goal is to make sure that our children know the dangers associated with that . They need to understand that people are not always who they seem to be . That is how Internet Predators lure children , by pretending to be another teen , sharing in the same interests , pretending to be understanding to their problems , all the while , gaining their confidence , waiting until it is time to make their move .
7 . Report any sexual images and inappropriate contact - If your child has received sexual images , links to sexual web sites , disturbing emails , or any unwanted and dangerous contact , report
Photo Source : www . theparentreport . com
them immediately to your local law enforcement , additionally , to the Cyber Tipline . Do not try to download or save the images , delete them , or move them , as it may destroy the evidence .
8 . Communicate with your child - This is the most important element to keeping your child safe online , and I cannot stress this enough . Make yourself approachable by being understanding , which will make it easier for your child to come to you when they need to . A child is never to blame when someone hurts or harasses them ; the perpetrator is the only one at fault .
We are the only ones that can protect our children from the dangers that lurk online . If you keep an open line of communication with your children , then half the battle is won .
805 West Main Street Waukon , IA
“ We are proud to supply our youth with the parts they need while on their ABUSE Free Quest !”
What Your Teen Doesn ’ t Want You to Know
Secrets Revealed
How many of you watch Dateline ’ s To Catch a Predator series ? If you haven ’ t seen it and you have children , then catch the video entitled , “ A Reality Check for Parents ,” located here .
In an anonymous survey , Dateline asked teens between the ages of 14 and 18 , questions about their online activity , and the results may terrify you . When asked about whether or not they have talked to a stranger online , only four percent of teens said that they did not chat with someone they did not know . That means that the majority of teens are putting themselves in extreme danger , regardless of the endless hours of lecturing that they are getting from us parents .
Fifty eight percent of teens said a stranger had asked to meet with them . At every minute of every day , predators are searching for a way into our children ’ s lives , and chances are , our children have run across a predator at one time or another .
Another twenty-nine percent of teens had a scary experience online . I don ’ t even like to think about the different things that have happened to children that have upset
and terrified them . We can only imagine , because our children don ’ t always tell us about their experiences , for reasons only known to them .
Almost half of the children surveyed , also admitted that they share too much of their personal information . The most important rule of Internet Safety is being broken by our teens ! What can we do about that ? We ’ ll get back to that in a second .
The majority of teens say that they use the computer responsibly , while a high percentage observe other teens being irresponsible online . Ninety percent of those teens who think that they are being responsible online , have no idea what it really means to be responsible , or they wouldn ’ t be chatting with strangers , which ninety six percent of them admitted to doing .
It is NEVER okay to meet someone that they have met online . There are just too many risks involved . Let them watch Dateline ’ s To Catch a Predator series , so that they can see this for themselves . These predators have a single purpose , and that is to sexually assault your child , or worse . Don ’ t let them be another statistic .
740 9th St . NW - Waukon , IA
563-568-4526
“ We care and we are proud to help keep our youth abuse free ”
www . reiserimpl . com
S & Dcafe
Sandy & Al Halverson
“ Proud to be a Drug Free workplace !”
13 W . Main St . - Waukon , IA 563-568-9944
abusemagazine . org | Iowa Fall / Winter 2013-2014 | 11