Home
>
Parenting
>
Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet

Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet

The biggest trick some child predators' are using these days is to pretend to be a kid, in a kid site chat room.

Child predators are talking the lingo, misspelling words, having simple conversations to gain trust with children on the internet.

But do you really know just how fast they can find information about your child or your family?

This is one website every parent must see:

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/index.html

Scroll down to the bottom and you will see a section called

Interactive Tools

Then click on the link

'What Can Be Revealed in Minutes About Your Child Online'

It is a downloadable tutorial that shows parents and kids just how someone can search for information about you or your child, if they frequent chat rooms, or send out any type of posts on the internet.

It shows you how a stranger on the internet can find out EVERYTHING about your child in about 45 minutes, with even the smallest piece of information to start with.

Here is the direct url for the tutorial:

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/Multimedia/NCMEC%20Video%202.exe

So what will a child abductor do with this information?

Even if they do not know what your child looks like, they can wait for them to come home from school, call them by name, call them on the phone.

And if they walk home from school, they can come in contact with them en route back home.

Without a doubt, the most dangerous of all? ...you might not even know if your child is being stalked by a person like this.

Here are some tips to safeguard your child against these types of individuals:

1. Just like TV, video games, or watching movies, you shouldn't let your child have free reign of the computer any time they like.

Have a central family computer space (keep it out of their rooms if there is an internet hook-up) By making use of the computer as a family affair, parents can keep a close eye on who they are interacting with.

2. Make sure you know who they are chatting with online and tell them exactly why you're concerned. Just like you want to meet their friends, get to know who they are talking to online.

tip - Kids are smart these days. They know there are nasty people in our society. Be open with them about your concerns and tell them you love them and You don't want anything happening to them. That way when you do get 'nosey cozy' every time they're online, it's not a shock to their system.

Tell your child under no circumstances should they give out their name, address, phone #, or where they go to school over the internet.

tip - It's natural for a kid to want to talk about those things. That's what makes up their day. Help them fight the urge by working with your child on 'safe' topics to chat about; movies, music, current events, even what they are learning in school. But nothing personal.

4. Have them tell you if there are any conversations that make them feel uncomfortable and to not believe anyone they chat with when they type in "Don't Tell Your Mom or Dad..." That's a big flag. Have them tell you about it.

5. Chatting kids should know never to meet ANYONE off of the internet without checking with their parents first, whether in a separate chat room or in person. They must have a parent along and meet in a public place.

6. Tell your child they should NEVER send a picture to anyone, without your permission.

Talk with your child about setting rules for going online (time of day, length of time) and what sites and chat rooms are OK to visit. And what would happen if they break those rules.

Working together, parents and kids can make the internet informative and fun, just don't make it easy for a child predator to find them.

Michelle Annese is a 3rd degree black belt with 15+ years experience teaching industry specific self defense and safety for women and children. She is author of 'the Realtor Survival Guide", 'Protection for Women', and 'The SafeGuard System for Kids'. For more information on how to protect yourself and your family go to http://www.michelleannese.com and check out other articles and sign up for a free safety tips e-newsletter.

move in cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Quick iPhone and Android battery optimization techniques help your device stay powered all day by turning off hidden features that secretly drain power in the background.

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.

Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.

A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.

Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.

Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.

The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.

A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.

Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.

Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.

California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.

Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.

Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.

House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.

Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.

Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.

Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet

Parenting