Online predators come in different shapes and sizes with differing expectations from their online predatory experience. There are the more 'benign' online predators; who get their kicks simply from communication on a ‘normal’ level with children and teenagers, and who do not bring sexual context into the conversations.

Unfortunately, however, a much greater amount of online predators want to take the relationship onto a higher level. As a rule, this involves asking the child to take part in some kind of light sexual conversational flirtation. This can involve talking about some sexual issue in a roundabout way, without getting too direct. Often, online predators will move onto the next level if they have success eliciting such information. Now they start intensifying these conversations, and may even ask for pictures of the child of a sexual nature; in some state of undress for instance. Fortunately, this is the point (if they haven't already) that some children and teenagers become sufficiently wary so as to become more cautious with what information they share. Many teenagers, however, continue to play the game.

The Internet has become a haven for online predators. It offers them two big advantages: first, it is completely anonymous, and secondly, it offers an unprecedented level of access to an endless supply of children and teenagers who are actively seeking to chat online. According to the online victimization research by NCMEC (2000), one in five children who use chat rooms were approached over the Internet by pedophiles.

It is quite easy to login to a chat site and pretend to be a teenager from the other side of the county; when in reality it is a guy in his 40's from the same town.

Chatting with friends online - via services like MySpace and Bebo - is beginning to replace watching TV as the main hobby of many young people. Typical online social networking happens in the community websites. Unlike chat rooms, they are not open to everyone: each person has to be invited to join in.

In the course of online conversation, everyday information is solicited, enabling predators to obtain access to school schedules and social activities.

From a parent’s perspective, it may seem impossible that their child would enter into a virtual conversation with a stranger. However, the reality is that the allure of flirtatious messages may dispel prior parental guidance.

According to PureSight CEO, Ouri Azoulay, “The issue that should be of most concern for parents is the number of online predators who will go as far as trying to arrange a meeting with the child that they have been in contact with. Such individuals often have considerable experience, and for them it is not difficult to coerce children into a meeting.” Parental control software provides protection to children from cyber bullies, Internet predators and unsolicited adult-oriented web sites.

At the core of PureSight PC is an active content recognition engine (ACR engine) that will recognize inappropriate WebPages and unsavory content. “It truly offers an easy way for parents to manage the content their children are exposed to when surfing the Internet,” stated Azoulay. “Parents can easily define their house rules and policies once within the software and then simply down load the software they have configured with their own set parameters on each computer they would like to have safeguarded from inappropriate content.”

Parents can be alerted and provided with a report or email when their child has attempted to gain access of questionable sites. “What is key here is that parents are able

You do not have flash or javascript support.

Average (0 votes)

Reply