A Predator Could Be As Close As The Click Of A Mouse

We teach our children about not talking to strangers and not opening the door. We ask them to tell callers that Mom just can't come to the phone right now instead of saying they are alone. But what do you tell them about the internet? Predators are no longer lurking in the park; they mask themselves with the internet, disguising themselves to be whatever their potential victim wants them to be.

There are several precautions that parents can take to help protect a child against predators on the internet:

• Talk with your child about people who use the internet. It is like a community, only you can't see the faces, read the body language, or use the tone of voice to distinguish what the person feels or thinks.

• Establish a clear set of rules and guidelines for computer use.

• Help your child find healthy, positive Web sites and bookmark them on your computer.

• Tell your child what to do in certain situations before they occur.

• Advise them to NEVER give any kind of personal information over the Internet (name, age, school, address, where they go, phone number, etc.)

• Use the filters that your internet service provides to block access to inappropriate areas.

• Place the computer in a room where the whole family usually gathers together, such as the family or living room. This will make it easier for you to keep an eye on your child's Internet activities. Make it clear that if you cannot see what they are doing online, then they cannot do it.

• If your child encounters threatening or obscene material on the Internet, report it to the sender's Internet service provider and your local law enforcement immediately. Do not delete the information.

• REMEMBER THAT 12 YEAR OLD DONNA COULD REALLY BE 32 YEAR OLD DONALD.

For more information contact Botetourt County Sheriff's Office or Operation Blue Ridge Thunder.