Browsing the web is not always a fun and wholesome experience, especially for your kids. Adults are capable of determining the difference between good and bad content, but children on the other hand are completely unaware that something or someone is already putting them at risk online.
If you are unsure about what your child does while surfing the web, you need to know these warning signs in order to understand if they are really at risk of being harmed, exploited, or abused:
First sign – Most of your child’s day is spent facing the internet, most notably at night. If this happens to your children, then they might be hooked on something. For many young people, YouTube and Facebook are two websites that provide them with unlimited entertainment and fun. However, these are the also the same areas where sex offenders and predators thrive. You’ll never know if they’re already targeted if you don’t monitor or control their access to the web.
Second sign – If you search your child’s computer and find pornographic material inside. Finding sexually explicit content in the computer of your kids does not necessarily mean that they intentionally use it. Sometimes, they are provided by sex offenders who pose as online friends. These people use grooming in order to victimize children and groom them to engage in sexual activities. Pedophiles are experts in portraying sex to children as a normal occurrence and at the same time a secret exclusive for the offender and the potential child victim.
Third sign – If your children receive unexpected gifts or presents from someone you don’t know. The giving of rewards and gifts is another form of grooming and seduction towards sexual abuse and exploitation. As children spend hours in social networking sites and chat rooms, they meet people who aim at sexually abusing them. Since offenders cannot directly solicit for sexual favors, they have to do it cleverly. And because children tend to be naive, they tend to give in to material gifts and presents given to them by these criminals.
Fourth sign – the most telling sign of your children risking their safety online is when they start to separate and withdraw themselves from the family. Sex offenders who search for victims online are masters at separating children from their families by means of poisoning them mentally and emotionally. When your children are scolded for wrongdoings, you must maintain a careful eye on them since they might wrongly seek refuge from other people. Sex offenders are so good at finding these emotionally vulnerable kids.
Tags: child victim, explicit content, facebook, pornographic material, sexual abuse, sexual activities, social networking sites, unexpected gifts, warning signs, youtube