Kids have lots of opportunities for socializing online, but they come with certain risks.
Several reports indicated that one in five children aged 10 to 17 has been sexually solicited on the Internet.
They are among the most active and vulnerable participants online.
Predators use deception to lure unsuspecting children into their web and hide behind a cloak of anonymity.
A child may believe he or she is chatting with a fellow sixth-grader, for example, when in fact; it is an adult pedophile posing as such lurking in cyberspace.
The child may also – unknowingly or deliberately – share personal information without realising he may be subject to identity theft, or that they are leaving behind content that might not reflect well on him or in the future.
The most common means by which sexual predators contact children over the Internet is through chat rooms, instant messages and email.
Together, we can make help protect children from online dangers and ensure children have a safe and rewarding experience online.’
The first line of protection is the parent who must talk to his or her kids about making safe, responsible decisions.
As a parent, you have control over the personal information companies collect online from your kids under 13.
Make sure you install an internet content filter.
This can be used to restrict what content is viewed and downloaded or the times when they can use the internet.
Importantly, parents must report inappropriate, harmful or criminal activities that occur online to appropriate authorities.
The federal government can also copy, edit and paste the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), a law in the United States of America, passed in 1998 with the declared purpose of restricting access by minors to any material defined as harmful to such minors on the Internet.
COPA required all commercial distributors of “material harmful to minors” to restrict their sites from access by minors.