In today’s society we have to think of the threats over the Internet. Even if we ourselves do not have a computer in our home, our children have access to them everywhere including our libraries, friend’s homes, school, etc. If you do have a computer in your home, it is advisable to keep it in a room that has access to everyone, like your living room. Computers tucked away in children’s bedrooms are not a great idea. They can be accessing anything over the computer and you wouldn’t have any idea. In a living room at least people are around and it is less likely that your children will go to the sites that you prohibit.

Another way you can watch over what your children view on the Internet is to put a program on your computer that blocks certain sites. There is an excellent one on the market called Surf-Watch. Use Surf-Watch to reduce the risk of children and others accidentally or deliberately being exposed to offensive material. You can download this program at http://www1.surfwatch.com (this is not a typo, there is indeed a 1 (one) after the www) You can learn a lot more about the program from there. If you happen to have Netcom as your Internet Service Provider, this program came with your Netcom Complete Internet disk.

There are many other programs like surfwatch out there. You can access them through any search engine on the Internet.

It would also be advisable to put a virus detector on your computer if your children are using it. This can save you a lot of headaches and costs in repairs. Two suggestions are McAfee Web ScanX which comes with Netcom also but is downloadable at http://www.mcafee.com or Norton Anti-Virus which can be downloaded for free at http://www.nonags.com (this is a full version of the program that normally sells for around $50.00 in the stores, and yes, it is legal). Norton and McAfee are both well proven and terrific Anti-Virus programs.

One more idea… you may wish to put a password on your computer so only you or a responsible adult in the home can give the children in the home access to the computer. This is easily done through your Windows 95 or 98.

These are just a few suggestions to help make the Internet a safe place for you and your family. Below is a short story we suggest you read. It may truly open your eyes to some of the dangers on the Internet concerning your children and even show you how personal information can be accessed about yourself as an adult. This story concerns Internet “chat” programs. Any one, and there are many out there. Always check to see what programs are on your computer. If you see something that you are unfamiliar with, click on it and check it out. If your child is using one of these “chat” programs you should make sure it is the kind you wish him/her to use and only with parental supervision.

A little about these “chat” programs. A suggestion is that whichever program you use be sure the “history” or “log” is in effect. If you don’t know where this particular feature is, simply go the programs homepage on the Internet and access the information there or through their support email address. This will take all the words typed in this program in the conversation and save them for viewing.

Another idea you may wish to use. If you are not at home and your child has access to the Internet while there is no adult supervision, you may want to try this approach. In every computer there is an “Internet Temporary Files”. This particular file brings up the address or file name of absolutely everything you click on while on the Internet. It can be found in your “Windows” file (not the “temp” file.. it is called the “internet temporary files) or accessed by clicking on “my computer” then to “control panel”, then to the “internet” icon. In there you will see “temporary internet files” under the “general” tab, click on “settings”. The file will come up showing you everything that has been viewed on the Internet since the last time you cleared it, including pictures. It is suggested that you look these over, then when finished, delete them to start a new list. This should be done on a regular basis anyway. One person, an adult, should be in charge of this chore of checking the Internet temporary files and deleting them. This way, if they are found deleted, you will know that someone must have been somewhere where they shouldn’t have been and are trying to hide the evidence. Then it is time for a talk with your child about the responsible use of your computer.

Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster. “You’re being silly,” she told herself, “no one is following you.”

To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house.

Once inside, she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen (nick) name “ByAngel213.” She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message.

ByAngel213: Hi, I’m glad you are on! I thought someone was following me today. It was really weird!

GoTo123: You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don’t you live in a safe neighbourhood?

ByAngel213: Of course I do. I guess it was my imagination cuz’ I didn’t see anybody when I looked out.

GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven’t done that have you?

ByAngel213: Of course not. I’m not stupid you know.

GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!

GoTo123: That’s great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees.

GoTo123: What is your team called?

ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo123: Did you pitch?

ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don’t want them mad at me. Bye!

GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye.

Meanwhile……

GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel213 so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: January 3, 1986
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favourite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line.

He had enough information to find her now.

Shannon didn’t tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn’t want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn’t be so overprotective.

By the next Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn’t look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.

Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon’s home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait.

He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon’s house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room. “Shannon, come here,” her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn’t imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. “Sit down,” her father began, “this man has just told us a most interesting story about you.” Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. How could he tell her parents anything?

She had never seen him before today! “Do you know who I am Shannon?” the man asked. “No,” Shannon answered.

“I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123.” Shannon was stunned. “That’s impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He’s 14 and he lives in Michigan!” The man smiled. “I know I told you all that, but is wasn’t true. You see Shannon there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze.”

Shannon was stunned. “You mean you don’t live in Michigan?” He laughed. “No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn’t it?” She nodded.

“I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn’t as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line.

The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you’ve learned a lesson from this and won’t do it again.

“I won’t,” Shannon promised solemnly. “Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?” “It’s a promise!”

Please print this and allow others you know with children and computers to read about this issue. It is vitally important that parents are aware of some of the bad as well as all the good on the Internet. The world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.

To prove to you that there is a lot of good on the Internet though, this story itself was taken from the Internet from a friend’s homepage. The author is unknown.

verwatch@netcom.ca

 

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