ABUSE STAY SAFE MAGAZINE ONLINE
2545 Illinois Route 26 S . Freeport , IL 815-232-8120
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“ We at the Freeport Walmart are proud to be a drug free workplace and expect drug free employees !”
34 North Whistler Ave . • Freeport , IL 815-235-6171
“ We are proud to support an ABUSE free future for our youth !”
STS ROCKFORD
815-229-7400
“ Kids , peer pressure is always there , but keep on TRUCKING to a drug free future !”
5245 27th Ave . • Rockford , IL
815-964-9471
We are proud to be a drug free workplace .
305 Peoples Avenue • Rockford , IL
4801 American Rd . Rockford , IL
815-874-0913
“ We are proud supporters of ABUSE Prevention in our community !”
Internet Safety for children is something I find very important . A staggering number of children , over 5,000 every year , are kidnapped , sexually assaulted , and even murdered , after meeting someone in a chat room . My mission and purpose is to provide parents with the resources to help keep their children safe online .
Eight Tips to Help Your Child Avoid Online Predators
It is so important to educate our children about the dangers associated with the Internet , specifically , Online Predators ; being knowledgeable about the tactics used by these predators , will go a long way to ensuring their personal safety . Here are eight tips to keeping your child safe online :
1 . Establish limits - Tell them which websites they are allowed to visit . If you don ’ t want them visiting Social Networks , then explain this to them , alerting them to the dangers involved . Most teens love these Social Networks and that is usually one of the first things that a teen will do when they have access to a computer , but Social Networks are a major hunting ground for Internet Predators , and they need to understand that .
2 . Surf with your Child - Spend some time understanding the types of places that interests your child and see if you feel that it is safe for them . Do you know a safer site for them , suggest it .
3 . Show them how to keep their personal information private - Kids don ’ t understand the dangers involved when they share their personal information and that is when we need to make sure that they are safeguarding all of their personal information . Real name , phone number , address , email , school information , and gender should not be identifiable . Internet Predators look for children of certain ages , gender , etc ; therefore , they unknowingly make themselves targets .
4 . Know who is contacting your child - Who they are talking to online ? Do they frequent social networking sites , forums , or play any type of online games ? These are all places with chat capabilities and they may have come across a predator and are not even aware of it . Who is on their Buddy list ? Ask them to show you . If you have ANY reason to believe that your child may be talking to people that they shouldn ’ t , then please see the products listed in the “ Internet Safety Products “ section . There are products that can give you a snapshot of the pages your child is frequenting , passwords , keystrokes , chat logs , and you can restrict access to certain websites . They can give you peace of mind .
5 . Ask your child if they have been approached by anyone that made them feel uncomfortable - If there is someone that stands out in their mind , someone who was particularly disturbing , they may feel the need to tell you . I say that they “ may ” tell you , because your child may be embarrassed of the encounter , or feel that they are in some way responsible . Explain to them that although the Internet can be a great learning tool , it also has a downside ; sick individuals whose sole purpose is to prey on the innocence of children .
10 | Illinois Winter 2014 | abusemagazine . org
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