A cautionary Internet tale!!!!

[geniebelle6901]

I didn't say he was a pedophile, just that he could have been. And you're right, he could have been a nice boy around her age.

[2xx1xy1JD]

There were some pretty good comments on the article. Most said that the keys were educating the daughter about the potential dangers, building trust between mother and daughter and encouraging real self-discipline.

The internet can be scary for parents - it's not what we had growing up (I didn't get an internet connection until after I was married), and the technology is changing rapidly. We put limits on what our 12 yr old daughter can do....but we still let her use it. We let her know up front that there is no expectation of privacy, and that we need to have her passwords. PLUS, she has attended seminars on internet safety from the police. We talk all the time about the dangers of oversharing online, the importance of privacy controls, etc. I've also made it clear that the phone can't be misused - she threatened once to take a picture of her sister and broadcast it, and I came down hard (which I hardly ever do). I told her that it's easy to do something in the heat of the moment without thinking, but that sending pictures taken without permission was cyber-bullying, and that it was an action that couldn't be reversed. We talked about how the internet is forever and how it's always important to think before pressing send, to make sure that you are not doing or saying anything hurtful. I also made it clear that I wouldn't hesitate to take the phone away if it was ever a problem. I trust her - but I trust her precisely because we're discussed these issues, made sure she was aware of dangers, let her know that we will be on top of what she's doing and have let her know our expectations and just how seriously we take the issues.

My kids go to a Jewish school, but it's one that doesn't teach that the internet is evil. Instead, they have internet safety seminars for both students and parents on a regular basis. I wonder if the current "internet is scary and evil" trend will mean that kids DON'T get the practical safety lessons.