How To Find Out If Children Are At Risk Online

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There was a film that I watched of a teenager who was chatting with a stranger online. Because the girl was so inquisitive to know who the stranger was, she decided to arrange a meeting with the stranger.

At the end of it all, she was almost physically molested by this stranger who happens to be his brother’s friend who wanted to take advantage of her. In this article, I want to tell you how to find if children are at risk online. Follow me as I will show you some of these tricks that you never knew.

Here are some of the signs that you will notice to show that they are at risks:

The child spends more time seating at the computer
Pornographic materials are present on the child’s computer
The child receives phone calls and/ or gifts from unknown persons
The child turns off the monitor or quickly changes the screen when the parent enters his or her room
The child looks depressed and does not show any interest in talking with family and friends

How to protect children from online threats

Ensure that your child knows about the dangers of computer sex offenders.
Monitor what your child does on the computer.
Use Caller ID on phones to determine who is calling the child, and block numbers that are suspicious
Monitor the child access to all types of live electronic communications such as chat rooms, instant messages, internet relay chats among others.
Restrict access to malicious and porn websites using internet content filtering software
If the child is maintaining a social networking profile, look closely at what information they have posted on their member profile and blogs, including photos and videos.
You have to check the credit account statements each month for any unusual changes that may indicate unauthorised purchases by a stranger or your child.
You have to notify the police if someone the child met online starts calling them, sending gifts or trying to lure them to reveal sensitive information.
You have to ensure that the child does not:

* Provide personal information such as name, address, phone, school name, among others
*Open email from unknown strangers
* Share their photos/videos with strangers over the internet

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Encourage children to report:

Parent should encourage their children to report any inappropriate behaviour they may face online.
The parent can encourage the child to come to them if they are being bullied or are facing predators online.
The children may also be asked to speak to a trusted individual such as an aunt, uncle, or older sibling if they are uncomfortable talking to parents.

Internet crimes can be reported at:

http://ic3.gov

You have to click on Report Internet Crime.

Provided by SendPulse

Actions To Take When Your Child Become A Victim Online

In my previous article, I talked about some of the ways that children can become a victims of cyber prostitution online. This can affect them psychologically and may become inactive as they continue to live in fear. In this article, I want to look at some of the steps that you can take when your child becomes a victim online. Follow me as we will look at this step together in this article.

Here are some of the steps you can take:

#1 Report the offence to the Internet Service Provider

The very first thing for you to do is to report the case to the internet service provider. When you do that, it will be very easy for them to probe further or block that IP address from having access to their network.

#2 Change the online information

The next major step that you need to take in order to help the child is to change the online information of the child. You might need to have a closer look at his account online. This can give you a hint into what caused the problem in the first place. It will also ensure that the loopholes are blocked once and for all.

#3 No login

You have to encourage the child not to log in to websites where bullying occurs. If he does not log in to the website where the bullying is taking place, he will be able to block the source of the threats. This will allow the child to stay safe for the time being.

#4 Ignore any calls from the online predator

There is a high tendency that the predator might start calling to demand compensation or other monetary benefits from the parents. Some of them might also resort to blackmail in order to get more money. You have to make sure that you avoid them and that you do not pick any of their calls.

#5 Block the offender

There is a need for you to block the offender’s email address and screen name so that they cannot contact the child. You need to blacklist them at all points so that your child can have peace. If possible, you have to report the matter to law enforcement agents in your area.

Security Software For Online Threats Protection

In my previous article, I have talked about some of the major threats that can happen to online users. In this article, I want to look at some of the security software for online threat protection for users. Follow me as we are going to look at that together in this article.

Children can be protected from online threats by installing appropriate security software on the child’s computers. Some of the features that parents should look out for include:

#1 Web blocking

This will help prevent the children from viewing inappropriate content on a website. With this, you can prevent children from visiting specific websites.

#2 Program blocking

The program blocking feature can help to block games, peer to peer file sharing from happening between two computers. This will ensure that viruses are not transferred when sharing files.

#3 Email blocking

This is to help block unknown email addresses and prevent children from communicating with people they met online, through email.

#4 Time limits

This feature is to help control the amount of time the child spends on the computer. It can be used to limit children’s addiction to the computer.

#5 IM Features

This is to help in recording and monitoring the IM chats of the child, thus help the parent in determining if the child is engaged in an inappropriate dialogue with unknown persons.

#6 Usage Report

This is to provide a timely report on the child’s internet usage and IM history to monitor the child’s online interactions.

#7 Video filtering

This is included in order to ensure that the child does not view inappropriate videos on websites such as Youtube, but at the same time allows the child to view useful/ fun videos.