What children are at risk?

Some young people are particularly vulnerable to online predators.

May display some of the following traits:

~new online & unfamiliar with netiquette. But even the most web savvy teens can be seduced by predators who are good at what they do.

~Actively seeking attention or affection

~Rebellious

~isolated/lonely

~Curious

~Confused regarding sexual identity

~Easily tricked by adults

~Allured by subcultures outside of parents' world.

Here are some characteristics of typical victims:

-most but not all victims are between the age of 12 & 15

-Most victims have an instant message account but haven't set up privacy or security settings & willingly engage in conversations with strangers.

-live in suburban or rural towns

-are very sheltered & naive

-tend to be loners with few offline friends.

-tend to spend more than 90 minutes online after homework per day

-are secretive about their internet activities

-tend to have few activities outside of the internet.

Just because your child matches one or more of these characteristics does not mean they are being targeted by predators. However, your child is not perfectly safe if they match none of these characteristics.

Be an involved parent. Ask your child questions. Explain why you want to know this info.

Open & honest.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me for a FREE consultation.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com