Children and the Internet: Do You Know What Your Child is Doing?

We give our children so many techcentric toys, because we want them to feel part of and have a sense of belonging. Computers, webcams, cell phones, and high end gaming consoles, with messaging and WI-FI capabilities are hugely popular items.. Many of us assume our children can be trusted to use good judgement with these hi tech tools. Often this assumption is wrong.

Lately, in the news, many crimes, committed by youngsters involve the use of the computer and the 'net. Horrific crimes, including homicide as was the Colombine massacre, and the murder of Kara Borden's parents, by her boyfriend David Ludwig. These events beg for an answer to the question: How well do you know what your children are up to?

I'm going to try and inform parents of some activities and places young people hang out on the 'net, and just what goes on there. One of the most popular here in California, is a site called My Space www.myspace.com. Parents need to be aware that the site is a place where a lot of sexual activity occurs, known on the net as cybersex. The chat word is C boy or girl, at My Space. Pedophiles typically lurk around sites like this, masking as a fellow teen, and even pretend to be female, when in fact they are male. It's just too easy, and so many children, for whatever reason, too willing to engage in such behaviors.

Other sites like the Habbo Hotel, Delphi Forums,or Talk City, allow minors on site along with adult romance chats, bi and gay chats, and other overtly sexual forums. Parents must learn to not just accept the old adolescent plea, of "everybody goes there"

Take a look at this from My Space under resources.


I Just Want Sex (public group)
Find Some One That just wants sex

So Cal Make-out Club (public group)
This group is for people that live in so cal and wanna get together to make-out

Make Out Club (public group)
- Make Out Club -
The name pretty much speaks for itself, For people who want to meet others make out and make it a night.