by Susanne Parks

Created on: April 16, 2008

There is a false allusion that cyber surfing, on-line chatting, and social networking is a safe way for teens to socialize and interact. Unfortunately, in todays society this is just an allusion, and since knowledge is the best weapon for fighting these on-line crimes against our children, we must arm not only ourselves as adults but our children with knowledge of the very real dangers of the cyber world.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Innocent Images Task Force, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force units, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service work in a collaborative effort to combat crimes against children.

The CyberTipline was launched in March of 1998 and has a goal of enforcing a zero tolerance policy regarding child sexual exploitation. The tip line is staffed 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and provides a way to report incidents of child sexual exploitation, on-line enticement and unsolicited obscene material sent to minors. If you know of a minor that is a victim of any on-line crime of this nature, please contact the CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or on the web at www.cybertipline.com.

Cyber-bullying is another on-line danger minors face. Cyber-bullying may involve placing another's personal information on-line, stalking, making fun of or putting others down and harassment. This type of activity can be devastating and very destructive.

Most experts agree that talking to minors, and making them understand that they can confide in you without fear of over reaction, is very important in keeping them from becoming a victim.

Some tips on how to stay safe on the web include: never disclose personal information such as your full name, family members name, address, phone number, passwords, Social Security number or credit card numbers.

Keep Internet accessible computers in a central location in the home where it is visible, never in private locations such as a minors bedroom.

Define ground rules for Internet use such as acceptable websites, set a schedule for Internet use and have a very clear understanding that communication is limited to friends or family.

If your teen has a profile on a social networking site, be very aware of what is posted, you may be surprised at what you find. Some popular social sites include: MySpace.com, Facebook.com, Tagged.com, LiveJournal.com, MyYearbook.com, Spaces.MSN.com, Friendster.com

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