| The internet is a dangerous place for your | | | | not just your child but your entire family in |
| children. Don't even begin to believe that | | | | danger.I could go on and on about the |
| your child is safe. There are more dangers | | | | dangers, but what do you do about it? Is |
| than you can possibly imagine waiting to lure | | | | there anything that you can possibly do, |
| children to their doom. You had better be | | | | short of unplugging the stupid computer, to |
| aware of what's happening and take steps to | | | | protect your children?The first, and most |
| shield them from the danger ... if you don't, | | | | important, thing that you should do is talk |
| your child's sanity and safety are at serious | | | | to your children. Believe it or not, children |
| risk.Does this sound alarmist? Actually, I | | | | are intelligent beings, and they will |
| cannot stress this fact enough ... you have | | | | understand if you use words and concepts that |
| to be just as careful with your five year old | | | | they can comprehend. Explain the dangers, |
| on the internet as you would in the worst | | | | being patient and caring and understanding. |
| red-light district back alley in the darkest | | | | It may take a few tries, but they are capable |
| part of town. If you would not allow your | | | | of learning, understanding and obeying. Just |
| twelve year old wander around a drug den or | | | | be sure you do not portray the dangers as |
| visit the sex shops in San Francisco, then | | | | something in any way desirable, and don't |
| why on Earth are you letting him or her loose | | | | forbid them to explore, just explain what's |
| on the internet without supervision?Let's | | | | going on.The second, and equally important, |
| look at some of the dangers that exist on the | | | | thing to remember is that even if your |
| internet. The most obvious issue is | | | | children do understand and comprehend what |
| pornography. There are dirty pictures, video, | | | | you tell them - you should still protect |
| sounds, movies and anything else you can | | | | them. Do not let them surf the internet |
| imagine available everywhere on the web. In | | | | unsupervised if you can help it. Watch them |
| fact, it's often difficult to surf without | | | | on the web and be sure you know where they |
| running into a pornographic site | | | | are going.Every once in a while, check over |
| occasionally. Just type "whitehouse.com", | | | | the computer that your child has been using |
| expecting to get a page about the white house | | | | to see what they've been doing. Look at the |
| and you'll see that you get a pornographic | | | | cookies, the browser history and at images |
| site.Oh, and it's not just your run of the | | | | and such stored on the hard drive. I know it |
| mill pornography, no, there is much worse | | | | sounds like spying, but it's important to |
| stuff available to anyone who cares to look. | | | | know what they are up to before they get into |
| Your child can find pictures which will curl | | | | trouble. And oh yes, if you find something, |
| your toes at the sheer perversity of the | | | | just wait for an opportunity to "discover" |
| images. While intelligent people can debate | | | | what they are doing without giving away that |
| whether or not any of this material should be | | | | you are looking over their shoulder. Then use |
| available, even to adults, at all, no one | | | | this as a means of getting into a discussion |
| with any conscience and trace of goodness can | | | | with them. You should also take maximum |
| say it is okay for children to have access to | | | | advantage of any and all parental controls |
| this stuff.Not only is pornography a danger, | | | | that are available to you. Use a product such |
| but the cyber world is full of other horrible | | | | as NetNanny or Cyber Babysitter to control |
| things (just like the real world). Without | | | | your child's surfing habits. Set the parental |
| much work, your child can easily surf to | | | | controls of your browser and the major search |
| sites which espouse hatred, nazi values, and | | | | engines (most of them have a way to filter |
| page after page of extremely graphic, real | | | | out adult content).Does this sound extreme? |
| violence. I even know of some parents who | | | | Any psychiatrist will tell you it is. They |
| were horrified to find that what they thought | | | | will tell you should allow your children to |
| were harmless Anime (a style of Japanese | | | | explore at will, along with lots of other, |
| cartons) sites that turned out to be hard | | | | similar garbage. But would you trust your |
| core, extremely graphic animated sex | | | | children to the people who funded Adolf |
| galleries.Of course, I'm sure you've all | | | | Hitler, who give drugs to your children in |
| heard of the dangers of unsupervised chat | | | | school and who claim that hardened criminals |
| rooms. I have heard that older men hang out | | | | are really just misunderstood and unloved. |
| in them, waiting for trusting, innocent | | | | (That's a subject for a future article |
| children. They start up conversations, and | | | | perhaps - how we can improve our civilization |
| before long your child might attempt to | | | | and bring peace to the world by lining all of |
| travel to meet a nice man - and never come | | | | the psychiatrist's up on the nearest |
| back.You've got other, more subtle, dangers | | | | wall).Anyway, digressions aside, the |
| as well. Your child might surf the internet | | | | responsible thing to do is to ensure that |
| and find some cool site which asks for | | | | your children are safe, just like you would |
| personal information. Not knowing any better, | | | | if they were wandering around in the mall or |
| he or she might enter your social security | | | | in the red light district of a big city. If |
| number, address, phone number or even your | | | | you don't, you may find yourself taking up a |
| credit card numbers. This could actually put | | | | new hobby - looking at milk cartons. |