The siren of a fire engine, police car or ambulance has become a universal sound for an emergency. If we are in our cars, we pull over. If we are at home, we look out the window, to see where it’s headed. If it is coming to our own house, it can’t come fast enough. It signals urgency. Immediacy. It commands attention. And it comes or goes for a reason: a fire, an injury, a car accident or a crime. Someone has witnessed the emergency and calls for help. The appropriate responder reacts; stitches a wound, hoses down a fire, or protects citizens and makes an arrest.
But what about dangers and emergencies that don’t alert a siren, a fire truck or knock at the door?
Our children are growing up in a world of uncharted territory for many parents. The new source of knowledge: the Internet. And what a great learning tool it can be! Students can chat with other students in other countries, research for a history paper, or simply read up-to-date news on virtually any subject.
But the Internet, as much as it is an educational resource, it is also an anonymous, unrestrained and potentially destructive medium. Many children have fallen victim to predatory adults, masking their true identities to gain the trust of unsuspecting, vulnerable children. Recently, a 17-year-old girl traveled halfway across the world to meet her online boyfriend, who lived in the Middle East. She left without informing her parents, but with the work of investigators, was intercepted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation before crossing the border. She made it home safely. Some are not as fortunate.
So what can you do to minimize the chances of an online exploiter victimizing your child? While social networking sites can increase a person’s circle of friends, they also can increase exposure to people with less than friendly intentions. Here are tips from the Federal Trade Commission for helping your kids use these sites safely:
Keep the computer in an open area, like the kitchen or family room, and use the Internet with your kids.
Talk to your kids about their online habits. Tell them why it’s important to keep their name, Social Security number, address, phone number and family financial information to themselves.
Your children should be cautious about sharing other information too, like the name of their school, sports teams, clubs, where they work or hang out, or any other information that could be used to identify them or locate them offline.
Make sure your kids’ screen names don’t say too much about them. Explain why it’s inappropriate — even dangerous — to use their full name, age, or hometown. Even if your kids think their screen name makes them anonymous, it doesn’t take a genius to combine clues to figure out who your kids are and where they can be found.
Your kids should post only information that you and they are comfortable with others seeing and knowing. Let them know that you are regularly reviewing what they and their friends are posting on Web sites such as MySpace.
Warn your kids about the dangers of flirting with strangers online.
Tell your children to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, they need to tell you, and then report it to the police.
As parents, we must keep our eyes open and work with our children on the Internet. Keep open communication with your children. No emergency phone call is made when our children come upon a potentially harmful site or when they begin chatting with someone with ill intentions. We must keep vigilant to protect them from these ‘silent alarm’ dangers.
To learn more about staying safe online, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Onguard Online Web site — www.OnGuardOnline.gov.