Internet Stats …Cause for Concern

Our guest post is from Nicola Fourie, parent of a young child. Nicola wants to get the word out on the need for putting parental control software on home computers to protect our children from Internet predators.

Nicola shares,”I attended a very interesting talk at my daughter’s school about children and the dangers of internet usage. Let me just say I was shocked at the stats and the growing numbers of missing kids due to coming into contact with the wrong people online.

Here is what I learned :

* 20% of U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet say they’ve received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. Crimes Against Children Research Center

* There are computer bulletin boards set up specifically for the seduction of children. They lure kids in with games and establish relationships with them on-line. Then they arrange to meet face-to-face.

* Chat rooms and instant/private messages are two main tools pedophiles use to contact children on-line.

* An estimated 62% of teens report that their parents know little or nothing about their Web activities. LAPD Protect Our Kid

* When your child enters a chat room, they have a 100% chance of coming in contact with a sexual predator. The average contact takes 60 seconds. Often it is a predator.  cleartraffic.com

* Only 25% of the youth who encountered a sexual approach or solicitation told a parent.  Youth Internet Safety Survey

* 1% of parents stop monitoring their child’s Internet use when their child turns 14. Unfortunately, 72% of all Internet-related missing children are 15 or older. Crimes Against Children Research Center

* 60% of all websites on the Internet are pornographic websites (about 1.2 billion).

* As many as 1 in 4 children who use the Internet regularly, will be exposed to unwanted sexual material, including photos of nude people.  cleartraffic.com

* 77% of the targets for online predators were age 14 or older. Another 22% were users ages 10 to 13. Crimes Against Children Research Center

At the talk they recommended that we find a good parental control software and install it on our computers.”

Thanks Nicola!