catholicsphere

As if there weren’t enough evidence that parents need to keep tabs on what’s happening when their kids are online, here’s something else to add: Internet Predator Jailed for Targeting Teen Girls

[Adrian Ringland from the northern English town of Ilkeston] would send the girls a dummy photo of his teenage persona containing a hidden computer virus—known as a Trojan Horse—which allowed him to gain control of their computers.

He would then find potentially embarrassing material on the computers which he threatened to disclose to the girls’ parents or friends if they refused to pose for explicit photos.

“To demonstrate the control he had over them, he would turn their monitors on and off, or he would switch their printers on and off. These girls were terrified,” Hopkins said.

Parents, a word of advice: Computers should be in an open place in the home where you are able to look in on what’s going on. You should be able to periodically check what’s left behind on the computer.

This is recommended over and over again, and unfortunately, not enough parents are heeding such advice. This is not an issue of whether you trust your child or not. Rather its an issue of keeping them safe from predators. When kids are online, they are both in their home and not in the home at the same time. Personal cell phones only compound the problem.

Keep your kids safe. Stay aware.

[tags]internet safety, children, teens, news[/tags]