An estimated fifty thousand sexual predators are online at any given time. Networking sites puts young people at increased risk of sexual encounters with predators. My contribution to this weeks Thursday Thirteen brings you some important internet facts and statistics.
There was a time when we worried about strangers in the park and in the school yards. Now some 57% of parents worry that strangers will contact their children online and according to statistics parents should have reason for concern.
Some frightening statistics you should be aware of.
- 72% of parents think that their children use the Internet safely.
- 30% of children age 10 – 14 spend 6-10 hours a week online.
- 11% of children age 10-14 have been asked by a stranger for personal information.
- 7 in 10 children believe the information they put online and send to friends is private.
- 29% 7-17 year olds would freely give out a home address and 14% of 7-17 year olds would freely give out email address.
- 90 % of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online with 80% of 15-17 year olds having had multiple hard-core exposures to pornography.
- One out of five children age 10-17 have received unwanted sexual solicitations online and approximately 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in either chat rooms or through Instant Messaging.
- 24% of teens claim that their parents are never around when they’re online; 6% of parents said they were never around when their kids were online.
- 97% of Internet pornography sites now run basically on an honor system — if a child simply asserts that they are over 18, they get access to the sites.
- A survey of 600 households conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found that 20% of parents do not know any of their children’s Internet passwords, instant messaging nicknames or email addresses.
- 27% of online teens reported talking about sex online with someone they have never met in person.
- 30% of online teens have talked about meeting someone they have only met through the Internet.
The Internet can be a wonderful resource for children, but it can be a dangerous one too. Familiarize yourself with your children’s online activities. Talk to your kids about online safety and take advantages of the software that is there to protect them, but remember that no software will protect them 100 %. It is up to you to supervise their online activity. Children’s best online protection starts with you.
Sources:
Polly Klaas Foundation survey
familysafemedia.com
microsoft.com
RSS
35 responses so far ↓
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I went to a PTA sponsored seminar on this topic last year and it was frightening. They showed a sequence where by using info provided by the child’s screen name and profile as well as answers to innocuous questions, the pedophile was able to know first and last names as well as address, school, parents’ names, etc. Even when kids THINK they aren’t giving out private info…they still may be.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Those are very scary statistics. I closely monitor my children. Thanks for listing this information. I hope it reaches a lot of parents.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Scary stuff! My son is only 7 and not allowed on the internet unsupervised, but the time will come … and it scares the crap out of me, knowing what kind of people are lurking among us.
Thanks for the stats
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Wylie it is not too early to talk to him. Kids use computers in school too. I’m not sure if your son is yet?
Michelle, it is good to hear that you monitor them. I monitor my children at home, but school is a different story. I then count on my kids to show responsibility and the school to use filters.
Di, that does not surprise me. I was watching a news segment where they found out where a girl lived from just a photo.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:39 pm
It’s such a shame that kids don’t have the freedom I did as a child. I could take off on my bike and be gone for hours, out playing in the fields. Children of today will never know freedom but fear.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Gracie, how right you are.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Very good TT post, important things to know. I’m so lucky to live in a town of 325, where we don’t have to lock our doors, my kids can ride their bikes to school (I go with them), and everyone knows everyone. Towns like mine are an endangered species, I think.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 11:45 pm
What an excellent topic for Thursday Thirteen. You have some great statistics and advice for parents. It’s scary when we realize that the predators can get to our children so easily without our children even leaving home. We have to know what they are doing.
It’s sad that our kids have to lose their innocence so early these days.
Wrote: Mar 14, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Very scary statics my friend and the internet is indeed a wonderful resource but we must make sure to keep or children safe
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 3:14 am
I’m glad I’m not a child in these days… Sometimes I’m glad I don’t have kids too, but the statistics are scary nevertheless.
Thanks for visiting my handbag TT!
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 6:51 am
All I have to do is watch “To Catch a Predator” to know how dangerous it is out there.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 7:04 am
Scary list- I don’t have children yet, but I’m already worried about this.
Thanks for stopping by my TT too.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 7:35 am
Yikes. Those are scary numbers.
I’ve talked many times to my daughter about internet safety, and continue to do so regularly. But I think I might share some of these numbers with her to cement the deal!
Thanks for coming by my TT!
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 8:41 am
Great TT! Makes me glad that Little Princess doesn’t use the computer yet.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 8:53 am
Wow! I wasn’t allowed on the internet until I was like 17 – and even then I had to let my parents know I was on and what I was doing!
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 9:38 am
These are important facts — thank you.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 11:27 am
Carmen, NBC admits to paying for that pedophile sting claiming that it was paying a public service. According to a Washington Post article published in April 2006, Xavier Von Erck, the owner of the vigilante group Perverted Justice.com was paid $100,000.00. Because Xavier Von Erck was paid $100,000.00 by NBC Dateline, will the charges against these men be dismissed? Well their certainly is talk about it. You want a real wake up call, watch ‘Save the Children.’
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 12:03 pm
A lot of my oldest child’s friends have a MySpace account. Which I will not let himhave. That place scares me. Although if he was sneaky he would figure it out.
Right now the computer is in the kitchen so I know where they are.
Thanks for hte good reminders.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 12:36 pm
They have been teaching my son about Internet safety since fourth grade. It is really scary to see the statistics and makes me wanna keep an extra strict eye on my sons. Thanks for sharing the information.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 1:44 pm
This is totally terrifying.
I’ve been trying to teach my daughters about Internet safety, but I’m not sure how much it’s sinking in. I hope they don’t fall into any of these…
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Our computer is in the living room, it’s not pretty, but it’s in a public place where we can monitor. My kids know that I go to their Myspace account and I check out their friends’ sites also. It is hard to watch, but we have a rule that if we check the history and it’s been deleted, then they are off the computer.
I wish it was a safer world and that they could be riding their bikes everywhere on their own.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Scary statistics for sure. My kiddos are 10, 12, and 13 and you better believe we talk to them about this stuff and monitor what they are viewing.
Clearly, we can’t be over their should 24/7, but hopefully we as parents are able to instill some common sense and caution into our kids.
Good T13!
Chelle
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 5:29 pm
A difficult list to read and, as someone who doesn’t have any children but has plenty of nieces and nephews, I can only hope more parents will stop the “I’m not techno savvy” stance and learn it.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Over the past 2 months our local Sheriffs Dept has arested quit a few people that was trying to meet a 14 year old girl for sex. Little did the people know that they was meeting a Sheriffs Deputy. It is crying shame that we have such sick people in this world.
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Wrote: Mar 15, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Thanks, Rose, for posting this. We watched a program a while back that showed very clearly how little information it took for predators to find teenagers. . . well, any of us, really.
Wrote: Mar 16, 2007 at 1:07 am
Very frightening.
Wrote: Mar 16, 2007 at 10:03 am
I think that is why it is important to have your computer in your living room when you have children, or at least a place you are a lot…
Wrote: Mar 16, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Such scary stats. Hope all parents out there get to know this. Thanks for sharing.
Wrote: Mar 16, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Hi….
Great postings! I believe the “sequence” Di was talking about is called “Tracking Teresa” by Netsmartz. It is an excellent video showing how quickly anyone can find someone in real life, based on just a tiny bit of information that is published online.
I use this video, as well as many others, in my presentations to community and teachers.
Jace
Wrote: Mar 16, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Great article! In one of my classes our group is doing children’s safety on the internet, this is some great information and will help. Thanks!
Wrote: Mar 19, 2007 at 9:18 am
this is very very interesting… does it happen only in the US??
D
no offense meant
Wrote: Jul 30, 2007 at 6:52 pm
It is great you list this. It is so scary!! Right now my daughter was on a popular website made through Barbie for little girls. They can message different characters on the sirte. She started getting messages from what I think is a man. My daughter is 8. She was freaked out at first when he asked her if she cared if he is a boy. He asked her to go to his room. She couldn’t understand if he is talking about her Barbie character or her. I intercepted the messages pretending to be her to see what he was else he was going to say. She saw the other messages he was leaving and she is scared to death. I told her he is not a kid it is a man. I want her to be aware and make sure she doesn’t give up any personal info. Now she can’t go on the website because I don’t want her to be approached again. He was trying to pose as a child with the lingo he was using. Just let your children know even on Barbiegirls they are not safe. It is very sad they are preying on our children.
Wrote: Jul 30, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Christine, I’m sorry to hear about this situation with your daughter. Did you contact the administrator of the site and may I ask what site it took place on?