AURORA - With advancements in technology, some parents are finding it difficult to keep up with their children's social activities.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Educator Jennifer Rindfleisch listens as Joanna Carroll, community health educator for East Hill Family Medical, leads the discussion “Use and Misuse of the Internet: Children and Internet Predation” at Peachtown Elementary School in Aurora Monday evening.
Educator Jennifer Rindfleisch listens as Joanna Carroll, community health educator for East Hill Family Medical, leads the discussion “Use and Misuse of the Internet: Children and Internet Predation” at Peachtown Elementary School in Aurora Monday evening.
Monitoring Internet use is especially daunting, as children often find ways around roadblocks put in place to keep them from viewing - and responding to - certain online content.
“My daughter always seems to find her way around any blocks that we try,” said Robin Driskel, who attended a program “Use and Misuse of the Internet: Children and Internet Predation” at Peachtown Elementary School Monday evening. “It is just amazing what these technological savvy kids can do. How they seem to evade even the best parental controls.”
Guest speaker Joanne Carroll, of East Hill Family Medical in Auburn, said that parents must teach safety rules for Internet use.
“Forbidding the child from the Internet or even certain sites is a sure way to up the ante for attraction,” she said. “Kids are going to do what they are going to do. We have to raise more media savvy kids. They need to learn to be critical of what they do and the products that they are presented with.”
According to Carroll, predators spend time gathering bits of information from children through posing as a peer. The predator will then put this information together to be used against the child.
“Kids can be very trusting,” she said. “Often times they do not even realize that they are giving information away.”
Carroll said that pedophiles will ask many common questions about school and friends, and even personality traits such as favorite color and foods.
“A predator will put the information together like a puzzle,” she said. “They will form a profile of the child. Using this information they will learn where the child lives, and even their schedule.”
Carroll told parents that MySpace.com is a common Web site used by children to interact with their friends. It is also a favorite of online predators.
“MySpace.com allows the child to invent and market themselves,” she said. “It can be a paradise to a shy child who doesn't have a lot of friends in school. Kids think that they are immune and anything goes on the Internet.”
Yet the Internet, said parents who agreed, carries many useful functions along with its pitfalls.
“When my son went off to college we talked on the Internet a lot,” said Peachtown teacher Kathy Hughes. “He is not much of a phone person. Talking on the Internet was nice because he said things that he would not have on the phone.”
Teaching a child Internet safety and monitoring use is a must with today's technology.
Carroll recommends that computers be placed in a high traffic area of the home, and never in a child's bedroom. She also recommends that parents purchase a parental control software program and stay involved with the child's Internet use.
“Sit down and learn to use the computer with your child,” she said. “Have the child be your tutor and show you what he does, or who he talks to online. Always have your child's password for access to the history of the child's Internet usage.”
are going to do what they are going to do. We have to raise more media savvy kids. They need to learn to be critical of what they do and the products that they are presented with.”
According to Carroll, predators spend time gathering bits of information from children through posing as a peer. The predator will then put this information together to be used against the child.
“Kids can be very trusting,” she said. “Often times they do not even realize that they are giving information away.”
Carroll said that pedophiles will ask many common questions about school and friends, and even personality traits such as favorite color and foods.
“A predator will put the information together like a puzzle,” she said. “They will form a profile of the child. Using this information they will learn where the child lives, and even their schedule.”
Carroll told parents that MySpace.com is a common Web site used by children to interact with their friends. It is also a favorite of online predators.
“MySpace.com allows the child to invent and market themselves,” she said. “It can be a paradise to a shy child who doesn't have a lot of friends in school. Kids think that they are immune and anything goes on the Internet.”
Yet the Internet, said parents who agreed, carries many useful functions along with its pitfalls.
“When my son went off to college, we talked on the Internet a lot,” said Peachtown teacher Kathy Hughes. “He is not much of a phone person. Talking on the Internet was nice because he said things that he would not have on the phone.”
Teaching a child Internet safety and monitoring use is a must with today's technology.
Carroll recommends that computers be placed in a high traffic area of the home, and never in a child's bedroom.
She also recommends that parents purchase a parental control software program and stay involved with the child's Internet use.
“Sit down and learn to use the computer with your child,” she said.
“Have the child be your tutor and show you what he does, or who he talks to online. Always have your child's password for access to the history of the child's Internet usage.”
“My daughter always seems to find her way around any blocks that we try,” said Robin Driskel, who attended a program “Use and Misuse of the Internet: Children and Internet Predation” at Peachtown Elementary School Monday evening. “It is just amazing what these technological savvy kids can do. How they seem to evade even the best parental controls.”
Guest speaker Joanne Carroll, of East Hill Family Medical in Auburn, said that parents must teach safety rules for Internet use.
“Forbidding the child from the Internet or even certain sites is a sure way to up the ante for attraction,” she said. “Kids are going to do what they are going to do. We have to raise more media savvy kids. They need to learn to be critical of what they do and the products that they are presented with.”
According to Carroll, predators spend time gathering bits of information from children through posing as a peer. The predator will then put this information together to be used against the child.
“Kids can be very trusting,” she said. “Often times they do not even realize that they are giving information away.”
Carroll said that pedophiles will ask many common questions about school and friends, and even personality traits such as favorite color and foods.
“A predator will put the information together like a puzzle,” she said. “They will form a profile of the child. Using this information they will learn where the child lives, and even their schedule.”
Carroll told parents that MySpace.com is a common Web site used by children to interact with their friends. It is also a favorite of online predators.
“MySpace.com allows the child to invent and market themselves,” she said. “It can be a paradise to a shy child who doesn't have a lot of friends in school. Kids think that they are immune and anything goes on the Internet.”
Yet the Internet, said parents who agreed, carries many useful functions along with its pitfalls.
“When my son went off to college we talked on the Internet a lot,” said Peachtown teacher Kathy Hughes. “He is not much of a phone person. Talking on the Internet was nice because he said things that he would not have on the phone.”
Teaching a child Internet safety and monitoring use is a must with today's technology.
Carroll recommends that computers be placed in a high traffic area of the home, and never in a child's bedroom. She also recommends that parents purchase a parental control software program and stay involved with the child's Internet use.
“Sit down and learn to use the computer with your child,” she said. “Have the child be your tutor and show you what he does, or who he talks to online. Always have your child's password for access to the history of the child's Internet usage.”
are going to do what they are going to do. We have to raise more media savvy kids. They need to learn to be critical of what they do and the products that they are presented with.”
According to Carroll, predators spend time gathering bits of information from children through posing as a peer. The predator will then put this information together to be used against the child.
“Kids can be very trusting,” she said. “Often times they do not even realize that they are giving information away.”
Carroll said that pedophiles will ask many common questions about school and friends, and even personality traits such as favorite color and foods.
“A predator will put the information together like a puzzle,” she said. “They will form a profile of the child. Using this information they will learn where the child lives, and even their schedule.”
Carroll told parents that MySpace.com is a common Web site used by children to interact with their friends. It is also a favorite of online predators.
“MySpace.com allows the child to invent and market themselves,” she said. “It can be a paradise to a shy child who doesn't have a lot of friends in school. Kids think that they are immune and anything goes on the Internet.”
Yet the Internet, said parents who agreed, carries many useful functions along with its pitfalls.
“When my son went off to college, we talked on the Internet a lot,” said Peachtown teacher Kathy Hughes. “He is not much of a phone person. Talking on the Internet was nice because he said things that he would not have on the phone.”
Teaching a child Internet safety and monitoring use is a must with today's technology.
Carroll recommends that computers be placed in a high traffic area of the home, and never in a child's bedroom.
She also recommends that parents purchase a parental control software program and stay involved with the child's Internet use.
“Sit down and learn to use the computer with your child,” she said.
“Have the child be your tutor and show you what he does, or who he talks to online. Always have your child's password for access to the history of the child's Internet usage.”
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