Introduction
The internet is viewed as the ultimate resource for what people desire, whether in terms of information or relationships (Fried 1). This fact has made parents blinded by the many benefits of the internet and they have failed to notice how much it may have a negative impact on their children. Children may be exposed to pornography, racism and many other vices. Many criminals have been noted to prey on innocent children through different platforms. Parents are not always sure what children have seen or whom they have talked to while online. Internet sex crimes involve adults who meet, create a relationship with and seduce under-age children. I chose this topic because it requires more exposure and because contributing to this discourse can cause a change in approaches for parents towards combating child predators. This is because relationships with child predators may threaten the security of the child and negatively impact their development and social well-being. It is very difficult for a parent to know whether a child has been conversing with an adult on the internet because of the ubiquitous nature of the internet in mobile phones, iPads, laptops and PCs. In this research, expect to find out that a majority of parents do not have a clue about internet child predators. This paper provides research evidence to show that parents are clueless in matters of internet child predators and reasons why they should not be. In addition, recommendations on how to combat this problem are provided.
FBI. "Cyber safety ." Cyber Safety: Protecting your kids and teens online 3.2 (2010): 1-5. Print.
FBI (1), is a report on online threats that a child may encounter while surfing the net. The report summarizes statistical data on the percentage of children under risk as well as recommendations for parents. Because the report borrows from several credible sources such as governmental agencies, it is highly accurate. For example, the source documents that 64% of parents do not know how the communication components of the internet such as chat-rooms and social media work and that79% of teenagers are not careful when giving out information; 1 in every 5 children is sexually solicited online. The significance of this source is that it provides the necessary statistics to underpin the importance of the child predator discourse. It also focuses the blame, and rightfully so, on the parent. The report claims that the parent should learn as much as possible about how these sites work and what goes on therein.
Lenhart, Amanda . "Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project." Protecting Teens Online. Version 1. Protecting Teens Online, 10 May 2005. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/Protecting-Teens-Online.aspx>.
Lenhart (1) is a web source that provides statistics on internet usage by children. The web article notes that 61% of American parents have rules regarding internet use by their children and check to see which sites are being viewed. In addition, Lenhart (1) presents survey evidence that majority of parents and teens believe that teens are undertaking in online activities that their parents would not allow. In summary, the article notes that parents may not entirely aware of what their children are doing online but they are increasingly aware of the need to have filters and supervision. Parents with older children are not tech-savvy, they are installing filters and showing higher vigilance levels. This source is relatively credible because it relies on secondary research from credible academic sources. The significance of this source is that it not only supports the argument that parents are clueless about online-based child predators but also provides the use of child filters as a measure for combating internet-based child predators.
Wolak, Janis, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell, and Michele L. Ybarra. "Online "predators" And Their Victims: Myths, Realities, And Implications For Prevention And Treatment." American Psychologist 63.2 (2008): 111-128. Print.
This journal article examines the effectiveness of parents in combating internet-based child predators, noting that children who are victims are not receptive to advice from their parents. The methods used to arrive at the findings of this source are credible. The source illustrates how most child predators operate. Findings made in the article assert that child predators lurk in sites that are popular among children such as music-sharing sites and social media. They then use publicly-divulged information about the children to identify their targets. The predators then masquerade as younger people to cover their intentions and contact the victims. They then entice these victims into meetings or stalk them w1ith the purposes of abducting them. This source is significant to the research because it contributes to the combative measures against child predators. By knowing how these offenders work, one may be able to devise combating measures effectively.
Roberts, D. F., V. J. Rideout, and U. G. Foehr. "Generation M 2 : Media in the lives of 8-18 year-olds." Kaiser Family Foundation. 3.2 (2010): 20-43. Print.
This is a journal article which presents evidence from research findings. The research explores the behavior of children while online as well as the influence that their parents have on their online activities. The research methods used are reliable because the sampling and statistical analysis is accurate. Major findings include that children are more prone to having sexual conversations with strangers they find online than with their parents. This is done secretively, making it hard for parents to have a clue of what their child is engaged in. Use of small portable gadgets which can access the internet makes it easy for the child to move to locations which are away from their parents’ access. The significance of this source is that it provides evidence to show that it is very difficult for parents to know when as well as the amount of time their child is spending on the internet.
Rosen, L, N Cheever, and L Carrier. "The Association Of Parenting Style And Child Age With Parental Limit Setting And Adolescent MySpace Behavior." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 29.6 (2008): 459-471. Print.
This is a journal article which examines the influence of parents on their children and their awareness of child predators. The predominant finding is that parents are aware of the existence of online child predators but they do not have control over what their children are exposed to. These findings are arrived at through online surveys administered in 2006 to analyze the links between parenting styles and the setting of limits and online activity monitors. This research is relatively credible because it utilizes reliable statistical measures and analysis. The findings show that parents with children who were older are more likely to be clueless of their child’s online behavior, experiences and attitudes. Another significant finding made by Rosen, Cheever and Carrier (462) is that the parents who strongly believed that internet threats against their children’s wellbeing existed did not match their beliefs with concrete action to protect them. The significance of this source is that it maintains that parents are predominantly clueless regarding internet-based child predators. Those who are not clueless are not taking the necessary measures to combat the vice.
Mihelich, Peggy. "Protect your children from online predators." CNN. Version 1. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/23/safeonline.101/>.
This website article explores the internet proficiency of parents in the context of rising cases of child predators on the internet. The author asserts that some parents have no clue about how to navigate around the internet. For such parents, it is difficult to imagine the child predator dangers that may be involved. The accuracy of this source is difficult to establish because it does not rely on empirical evidence to make claims. Parents should also learn the language used in instant messengers and social media where initials may be used by predators to hide potentially important clues which the parents might otherwise ignore. This source is significant in that it presents parents with the impetus to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to combat internet-based child predators. It also underpins the main argument of this paper.
Duerager, Andrea, and Sonia Livingstone. "How can parents support children’s internet safety? ." EU Kids Online 3.2 (2012): 1-12. Print.
This is a journal article that examines child practices and the evolution of the internet which has made it difficult for parents to control their children’s online activities. The author notes that most children are online while in their bedroom and away from the prying eyes of their parents. Online activity is also mostly through hand-held devices or mobile phones. Given the highly secretive nature of teens and their devices, it becomes very difficult to track their activities and online conversations. The internet has become accessible to children at a very early age. This increases the level of vulnerability and underpins the need for parents to increase vigilance around their children as far as their online activities are concerned. Duerager and Livingstone (2) conducted an online survey which shows that when the internet use by children is restricted, chances of encountering child predators and cyber-bullying are greatly reduced. The significance of this study is that it not only consolidates the argument that parents are clueless with regards to internet-based child predators but also presents mitigation measures.
Byrne , Sahara, Sherri Jean Katz , and Theodore Lee. "Peers, Predators, and Porn: Predicting Parental Underestimation of Children’s Risky Online Experiences." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 3.2 (2013): 1-17. Print.
This journal article examines the extent to which parents underestimate the extent to which children are engaging in risky online behavior. In addition, the article examines the ability of parents to influence internet use. The findings recognize the influence of parents on their children’s online activities as needing improvement. They also underline the fact that parents of older children and teens are not entirely tech-savvy. This may pose a challenge in their attempts to keep track of the internet activities of their children. In addition, Byrne, Katz and Lee (1-12) provide a list of tips that may be used by children to elude predators. Children should keep the s and profile names used in online platforms as generic as possible. This source is reliable because of the elaborate quantitative research it comprises of. The significance of this source is that it provides methods which may be used to mitigate the problem of internet-based child predators.
Shoniregun, Charles Adetokunbo , and Andrew Anderson. "Is child internet access a questionable risk?." Is child internet access a questionable risk?. Version 1. ubiquity.acm.org, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://ubiquity.acm.org/article.cfm?id=964688>.
This web source provides methods which may be used by children and teens to keep child predators at bay. These include avoiding posting personal photos on online sites, keeping private information away from these sites and constantly reminding children that online “friends” remain strangers even after many days of communication. This is because predators trick their child victims into believing that after a few conversations they become good friends. Working to a develop child-parent trust relationship is a great method of letting the child know that they can communicate with their parent about any issue without being reprimanded. This source relies on logic rather than empirical evidence and is, therefore, not entirely reliable. The significance of this source is that it provides suggestion on how online predators may be eluded. It also presents an approach in which children are empowered in keeping safe by protecting their online privacy.
Livingstone, , Sonia , and Magdalena Bober. " Internet literacy among children and young people : findings from the UK Children Go Online project ." LSE Research Online Report 1.1 (2005): 1-24. Print.
This report discusses the risks that children are exposed to in online platforms. Parents need to be ambivalent when it comes to internet use by their children. This iS because children are not only an important part in the “digital generation” but also quite vulnerable and at risk from the internet. Livingstone and Bober (1) state that parents can no longer effectively monitor who their children interact with on the internet because almost all households in the United States now have more than one device which can connect to the internet. This research is relevant in this debate because they recognize the ubiquitous nature of the internet and how this ubiquity has made it extremely difficult for parents to track the activities of their children on the internet.
Conclusion
The usefulness of the internet has made parents blinded and they have failed to notice how much it may have a negative impact on their children. This paper lists various researchers who have contributed to inquiry into internet-based child predators.
Annotated bibliography
Byrne , Sahara, Sherri Jean Katz , and Theodore Lee. "Peers, Predators, and Porn: Predicting Parental Underestimation of Children’s Risky Online Experiences." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 3.2 (2013): 1-17. Print.
Duerager, Andrea, and Sonia Livingstone. "How can parents support children’s internet safety? ." EU Kids Online 3.2 (2012): 1-12. Print.
Fried, Robert B.. "The Internet: A Breeding Ground for Online Pedophiles :." An In Depth Analysis of Crimes Against Children Via the Internet 3.2 (2005): 1-12. Print.
Lenhart, Amanda . "Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project." Protecting Teens Online. Version 1. Protecting Teens Online, 10 May 2005. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/Protecting-Teens-Online.aspx>.
Livingstone, , Sonia , and Magdalena Bober. " Internet literacy among children and young people : findings from the UK Children Go Online project ." LSE Research Online Report 1.1 (2005): 1-24. Print.
Mihelich, Peggy. "Protect your children from online predators." CNN. Version 1. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/23/safeonline.101/>.
FBI. "Cyber safety ." Cyber Safety: Protecting your kids and teens online 3.2 (2010): 1-5. Print.
Roberts, D. F., V. J. Rideout, and U. G. Foehr. "Generation M 2 : Media in the lives of 8-18 year-olds." Kaiser Family Foundation. 3.2 (2010): 20-43. Print.
Rosen, L, N Cheever, and L Carrier. "The Association Of Parenting Style And Child Age With Parental Limit Setting And Adolescent MySpace Behavior." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 29.6 (2008): 459-471. Print.
Shoniregun, Charles Adetokunbo , and Andrew Anderson. "Is child internet access a questionable risk?." Is child internet access a questionable risk?. Version 1. ubiquity.acm.org, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://ubiquity.acm.org/article.cfm?id=964688>.
Wolak, Janis, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell, and Michele L. Ybarra. "Online "predators" And Their Victims: Myths, Realities, And Implications For Prevention And Treatment." American Psychologist 63.2 (2008): 111-128. Print.
Wolak, Janis. "Online "predators" And Their Victims: Myths, Realities, And Implications For Prevention And Treatment.." American Psychologist 63.2 (2008): 111-128. Print.
