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The Dark Side Of The Internet (Part I)
Autor: marshall518 :: Views: 55 ::
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The internet can be an incredibly useful tool for kids and teens. It's now easier than ever to perform research for a term paper. Communicating with friends is snap. And online gaming has taken entertainment to a whole new level.
But there is a very real and very nasty dark side to the internet. And parents need to be aware of what's going on behind their backs.
Here's a list of the five biggest online danger zones that most parents don't know about:
#1 Threat: Pedophiles
While most parents are aware that pedophiles exist, and most parents are aware that many pedophiles use the internet as a tool to meet underage partners, many parents are still unaware of how widespread the problem is.
Authorities estimate that at least one in five children have been sexually approached online. And just because you know about MySpace, don't think that you've got all your bases covered. Pedophiles can contact your children through chat sessions, forums, email, even through some online games.
#2 Threat: Pornography
Although pedophiles gets the most media coverage, online pornography is a massive problem in itself. It's ridiculously easy for kids of any age to find soft core and hardcore pornographic pictures, audio clips and movies online.
Blocking harmful websites isn't enough. Kids can find pornographic images using the image search on any major search engine. And they can download pornographic movies using the same programs known for download-able music.
#3 Threat: Online Gambling
The lure of easy money attracts many kids and teens to try their hand at online gambling. Although technically illegal in the United States, many off-shore sites make it easy for anyone to get set up with an account and start gambling.
Gambling is especially addictive for young teens and kids. And because often times these kids will be gambling with their parent's credit cards, the money doesn't feel real to them and they can lose thousands of dollars before you even notice anything on your bill.
#4 Threat: Hate Groups
Not many people are talking about this subject but online hate groups are targeting your kids. Traditionally, the KKK and other hate groups would recruit from high schools, targeting disaffected youth and distributing literature. But parents and teachers often impede, making it difficult for these hate groups to get their propaganda into the hands of their intended audience.
But online, it's easier than ever for hate groups to spread their message of hate. Now, there are hate forums, hate chat boards and even a million dollar a year record label that distributes hate music.
#5 Threat: Cyber-Bullying
Remember when bullies stole somebody's lunch money and that was the worst of it? Things have changed. Now, kids of all sizes can take part in Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is the practice of harassing or threatening another person using the internet.
Kids can be especially cruel and there are already cases of suicide reported due to cyber-bullying.
This Is Just The Tip Of The Ice Burg
There are plenty of other online traps that most parents don't know about. In the next article, I'll reveal five additional online danger zones.
But no matter how many danger zones I reveal, parents will never be able to keep up. The internet is changing so rapidly, and kids adapt faster than most parents.
So the important thing is to always be aware of what your child is doing online. For some parents, that means keeping a close eye on the computer. For other parents (especially working or busy parents), you may want to invest in a monitoring service.
Source: Free Articles
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