internet safety
Children may not realize it but they are very vulnerable online. Unless some form of online security is in place and parents have discussed the kinds of dangers the internet may expose them to; kids will have no solid idea of how they can become vulnerable online.
One of the dangers on the internet that kids may be exposed to is what is known as online grooming. Protect your kid online by talking about what online grooming is.
Online Grooming: The Basics
Online grooming is what sexual predators do on the internet to lure kids into forging friendships with them. What happens is that the predators undertake a kind of psychological manipulation in order to gain the trust of the kids they have befriended online.
The predators will first say things that will interest the child such as school activities, movies, books and such. Once the child starts opening up, the predators will take this opportunity to forge an emotional connection with the child.
Protect your kid online by talking about how online sexual predators operate. Tell them that their new-found friends online will say things that will make them feel good about themselves in the beginning.
Later on, they will make the kids feel bad about everyone and everything in their lives so the predators can prove that they alone understand the child and know how to make them feel better.
internet safety facts
In a word, online grooming is prepping up the child for sexual activities the predators want to perform with the child on a future date. Thoroughly discussing online grooming is a major step on how to protect your kid online.
What Your Child Should Do
It is important that parents should talk to their kids about what they should do should a stranger online engage them in conversation.
In order to protect your kid online, tell your child to talk to you the minute something off-putting happens online such as when their online friends start showing them images or videos depicting sex or nudity, when the online friend asks to see the child via webcam or in person and when the online friend starts talking “dirty” to your child.
It is highly essential that your child understands the serious implications of falling into the trap of these online “groomers” and put emphasis on your desire to protect your kid online so he or she will know that your main concern is keeping them safe.
Finally, as parents, it is likewise important that you get as much information as you can about sexual predators and how they behave on the internet in order to fully protect your kid online from such online predators.
internet safety tips
