Who is Emailing Your Child?
It’s hard to remember how kids managed to learn anything in school in the days before the Internet. Today’s students have access to information on every conceivable topic as close as their PCs, and are now capable of learning at an astonishing rate.
The Internet has also made it possible for kids and their friends to interact online instead of tying up the phone for hours at a time, and the many social networking websites like MySpace, Facebook, and Whyville have become after school and weekend gathering places for kids of all ages. They can hook up with other kids whom they might never have had a chance to meet in person, sharing their common interests and making new friends.
But even kids who are too busy to build relationships on social networking sites can still communicate with one another via email. Email, in fact, is the most used form of online communication because it transmits information instantly, and allows its users to store their correspondence indefinitely. One of the biggest drawbacks of email, however, is that could allow strangers to strike up relationships with your kids.
We have all learned through experience that the anonymity provided by the Internet has made it a favorite stalking ground for predators. Your child may unwittingly be providing their personal information and photos to a sexual predator just a few miles away, while thinking he or she is corresponding with another kid halfway across the world.
What can you, as a parent, do to prevent this frightening scenario? You can start keeping track of your child’s email and chat room activities, so that you know the details about their online relationships.
You can first talk to your child and find out where they began talking to this person. Predators often search for children who have low confidence or a low self-esteem. This is one of the ways they trap children; they work to earn your child’s trust, and they exploit that trust.
Luckily, there are several new websites where you can check to see exactly who is emailing your child. That’s right. All you have to enter is the email address of the person you’re trying to find information about. You don’t need to have their name, Social Security number, or address.
By typing in their email address, you can find their name, address, phone number, and background records. These background records are extremely important because they contain arrest records for federal and state correction facilities. They also contain the facts about misdemeanors and felonies this person may have been convicted of, and whether or not they are a sex offender.
Parenting is the hardest job you will ever have, and it’s also the best and the most rewarding. Take an active role in your child’s online activities and check out suspicious people right away so your child will never fall into the trap of a truly dangerous person.
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