The computer screen is glowing; do you know where your child is surfing? The Internet is an extremely popular and useful communication, education, and entertainment service. Families all over the world, shop, research, chat, and e-mail online everyday. Teenagers are able to hone their research skills by doing much of their academic work online. If there is something you want to know about, fire up your browser, type in a search phrase, wait a second, and there is your answer. Knowledge is virtually at your fingertips. However, with all of the positives that go along with the Internet come some very real and frightening negatives. Online predators are looking for your child. Do you know what to do?

Statistics

The statistics speak for themselves. According to Cyber Angels, a cyber space volunteer guardian group made up of technology specialists, law enforcement officers, educators, and others, by the time they reach the age of fourteen, 77 % of children have been contacted by an online predator. However, only about 25% of these children tell their parents about their encounters with these predators, and less that 10% actually tell authorities about what occurred. Even more alarming, nearly 75% of children freely give out personal information online. With only one-third of households with computers protecting their children through filtering and blocking programs, these statistics can continue to rise.