By Karla Sullivan
According to a study by the National Children’s Bureau in Ireland, one in five young people spend five or more hours a day online and four out of five use the Internet without safety restrictions.
Here in the US, surveys have shown that 42% of children have seen hardcore pornography and 25% of 825 children between seven and 16 get away with pretending to be older to get an account online. Almost 3 in 10 parent let their kids use the internet without any restriction or supervisions.
Over 95% percent of American households are connected to the virtual world. A 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that young Americans ages 8-18 were experiencing almost 11 hours of total media exposure a day, a 30 percent increase from only a decade earlier
Yes, the Internet provides vast knowledge across the world for learning. Resources for homework, access to libraries and the interactive media to explore other nations but parents complain that homework is suffering due to the downside which is distraction on sites like Facebook and online games.
And even beyond these distractions, sexually explicit images, and offensive sites are a major area of concern for children. Even alcohol, prescription drugs and gambling are available to children on the Internet.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s office,
· An estimated 20% of parents do not supervise their children’s Internet use at all.
· Only 52% of parents moderately supervise their children’s Internet use
· Some 71% of parents stop supervising Internet use by their children after the age of 14, yet 72% of all Internet-related missing children cases involve children who are 15 years of age or older
· Close to 62% of teens say their parents know little or nothing about the websites they visit.
As a parent you may choose to regulate your child by installing a filtering product. What products tend to do is keep pornography from appearing, mask profanity, control access to set time limits and send alerts. Though we can’t protect children from predators and other internet threats, we need to set up parent controls the best we can even though no filtering service can guarantee the block of all inappropriate sites.
Tips for parents to help teach what is acceptable:
· Watch and spend time with your children on the computer
· Set rules and enforce them
· Make sure your children stay out of chat rooms
· Talk to your children about giving out private information
· Check with your Internet Service Provide for parent controls available
· Review the history of your computer or your child’s.
And if there is a problem or you feel that your child may be in danger, contact your local police.
Unfortunately, a social media predator claimed 55 victims, and social media crimes are on the rise since scammers are becoming more Internet savy. One in five have reported unwanted sexual solicitations online.
Becoming real friends over the Internet is not the avenue to take. Be careful of this misconception. As in the old days, they may have been called pen pals from afar; communication by mail. But, today, we have to teach our children that anyone can be who they want to be on the Internet; many times that online presence can be false and dangerous.
