Children and the Internet: Easy Ways to Protect Your Child Online

The most troublesome of online things nowadays are predators. They're anywhere, everywhere and disguised as the most innocent acting of people. Sweet, sincere, perhape even a tad on the compassionate side. They'll talk to you with such sweetness that you'll have a toothache for weeks. Predators are everywhere, unfortunately. Pedophiles as well as other 'disturbed' people frequent the internet as much as a normal person. However, there are simple and easy ways to keep your child safe from these people.

Recently, I was playing a game on a rather popular gamesite when a girl started talking about her hometown. I, being curious, kept close watch over her conversation with another. She gave out her age, her hometown (oddly enough we share the same hometown) and what color her house was. Seems harmless, sure, however, when talking to her, I decided to play with her. Taking what information she had given, although vague, I drove to town and past her house. When I returned home I told her how easy it would've been to kidnap her had I been a child predator. Making the internet safe for children is a lot easier than one would think.

1 - asl, anybody?

It seems wherever there is chat, there is the infamous 'asl' question. For those parents not up to par on internet lingo, it stands for age sex location. If you choose to let your child onto an instant messenger or even any of the other numerous chat programs available, be sure to tell your child to NEVER give their age out - or even lie. Don't do either and don't believe others who insist they're as old as they state. They very well may be, however, they don't need to know you're child is a minor and chatting online.

Asking about gender seems harmless, however, it's definitely the least worrysome of the triad of asl. The only thing it pinpoints to others is if they want to attempt to hit on you, or if a predator, if they want to make you a target. In either case, it's still not advisable. Children and online dating don't tend to mesh well.