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A
Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
Dear
Parent:
Our
children are our Nation's most valuable asset. They represent the
bright future of our country and hold our hopes for a better Nation.
Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society.
Protecting our children against the fear of crime and from becoming
victims of crime must be a national priority.
Unfortunately
the same advances in computer and telecommunication technology that
allow our children to reach out to new sources of knowledge and
cultural experiences are also leaving them vulnerable to
exploitation and harm by computer-sex offenders.
I
hope that this pamphlet helps you to begin to understand the
complexities of on-line child exploitation. For further information,
please contact your local FBI
office or the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
Louis
J. Freeh, Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Introduction
While
on-line computer exploration opens a world of possibilities for
children, expanding their horizons and exposing them to different
cultures and ways of life, they can be exposed to dangers as they
hit the road exploring the information highway. There are
individuals who attempt to sexually exploit children through the use
of on-line services and the Internet. Some of these individuals
gradually seduce their targets through the use of attention,
affection, kindness, and even gifts. These individuals are often
willing to devote considerable amounts of time, money, and energy in
this process. They listen to and empathize with the problems of
children. They will be aware of the latest music, hobbies, and
interests of children. These individuals attempt to gradually lower
children's inhibitions by slowly introducing sexual context and
content into their conversations.
There
are other individuals, however, who immediately engage in sexually
explicit conversation with children. Some offenders primarily
collect and trade child-pornographic images, while others seek
face-to-face meetings with children via on-line contacts. It is
important for parents to understand that children can be indirectly
victimized through conversation, i.e. "chat," as well as
the transfer of sexually explicit information and material.
Computer-sex offenders may also be evaluating children they come in
contact with on-line for future face-to-face contact and direct
victimization. Parents and children should remember that a
computer-sex offender can be any age or sex the person does not have
to fit the caricature of a dirty, unkempt, older man wearing a
raincoat to be someone who could harm a child.
Children,
especially adolescents, are sometimes interested in and curious
about sexuality and sexually explicit material. They may be moving
away from the total control of parents and seeking to establish new
relationships outside their family. Because they may be curious,
children/adolescents sometimes use their on-line access to actively
seek out such materials and individuals. Sex offenders targeting
children will use and exploit these characteristics and needs. Some
adolescent children may also be attracted to and lured by on-line
offenders closer to their age who, although not technically child
molesters, may be dangerous. Nevertheless, they have been seduced
and manipulated by a clever offender and do not fully understand or
recognize the potential danger of these contacts.
This
guide was prepared from actual investigations involving child
victims, as well as investigations where law enforcement officers
posed as children. Further information on protecting your child
on-line may be found in the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Child Safety on the
Information Highway and Teen Safety on the Information Highway
pamphlets.
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