Myths about Internet Safety
There are several myths about Internet safety, some of which are proclaimed and perpetuated by online predators! It is a well known fact that online you have the same mix of good guys, law abiding citizens, and of course criminals – some of whom have the stated goal of trying to take advantage of children and young adults.
While it would be great if the various social networking sites, where such predators appear to congregate, could simply weed them out, the facts proclaim that parents must be vigilant and help their kids to become Internet savvy users of the online sites they love to frequent.
Perhaps the most prevailing myths about Internet safety is the one that suggests downloadable software can protect the younger set against the antics of the online criminals.
This is not the case. Instead, you will find that many crooks have already figured out how to disable such software and they are more than happy to teach your kids and anyone else who wants to be “cool” and fit in with the “in crowd.” Using these psychological tricks, the online predators keep parents in the dark and kids more or less completely exposed.
Another of the more pervasive myths about a href=”http://websafekid.com/weblog/category/online-safety/” target=_blank >Internet safety states that most chat rooms are monitored by a responsible adult who will immediately halt any discussions that are objectionable.
This is not only untrue but by and large a myth that predators would love to have parents believe! The few monitored chat rooms that do exist are not generally very heavily frequented and the development of a new “in crowd” lingo often makes it hard for those trying to keep an eye on interactions to figure out what is really going on.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
You said what I have been thinking — there is not guarantee of internet safety. Those who say they are providing a safe place can be the very predators that you want children to avoid. I found another web blog about this issue at http://www.drbethrobinson.com. She seems to be a professor of behavioral science and a therapist. She has some tools for teaching children.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
There are indeed many myths of the Internet, and one of the worst is Internet predators. It is a myth that kids are likely to become victims, yes. What is NOT a myth is the fact that these guys are out there and they ARE trying! Fortunately, most kids are smart enough not to talk to strangers, but you can’t ignore the promiscuity of teens (girls AND boys) and the thrill of being dangerous. But forget about predators, it’s just simple young naiveté and mischief and cyberbullying that parents need to really worry about. Kids today have no concept of the real world we live in because their world is almost entirely digital and virtual. Don’t waste time trying to block and restrict, with monitoring software like our PC Pandora you can KNOW. Everything else is just guesses… check us out at http://www.PCPandora.com for more info.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Sometimes it is very hard to restrict kids from accessing certain sites. It is better to provide them with as many resource which are suitable for their age and give them understanding of the danger in the internet.