« YouTube | Home | The Teen Blog Outbreak »
Internet Predators
Probably the biggest downfall to the internet is making yourself vulnerable to internet predators. Of course, some sites and services open up a bigger risk to the user than others, but it’s always a factor when giving out any information online.
Forums, chat rooms, and instant messaging services are all places that attract predators. Themed role-playing chats and forums can easily attract the interest of a wandering predator. Unfortunately, it seems today that a lot of the people causing the worry are interested in teens between the ages of 12 and 14.
This article should not scare you into thinking everyone on the internet is a predator, but it should make you more aware to the possibilities and understand that it can happen, even to people older than 14. Don’t ever think that it couldn’t happen to you or someone you know.
Things To Watch For
- Anyone who is asking for too personal of information. If they simply ask what state or province you live in, that seems to be fairly common information, but if they continue to ask what city or town you live in, or push it even further and ask what street you live on, then there’s a possible clue.
- If the person you are talking to online starts asking you about sex, whether it be your preferences or experience, be careful. With some teens and young adults, that can be common conversation, but if they take the conversation to an uncomfortable level or push the subject more than appeals to you, this may also be a clue that they are a predator.
- More obviously, if the person you are talking to online asks for more personal information such as a bank number, your school’s name, your phone number, etc., this could be a sign or suggestion that they are trying to find out more about you than a normal friend from the ‘net would.
Predator Prevention
What can you do to prevent a predator from getting to you? The suggestions are simple and easy to follow.
- If anyone is asking for overly personal or uncomfortable information, tell them you do not like to talk about such things and if they pursue, block that user. They cannot continue to talk to you if you have them blocked. Normally that will discourage a predator, causing them to move on to “easier” prey.
- If you are a parent of young teenagers that use the internet, make sure they are aware of what a predator is and what to watch out for. Tell your children to never give out too much information and what information is okay to share with a person, for example, your first name and hair color.
- The best way to avoid predators is avoid chat rooms filled to the brim with strangers talking about sex. Unfortunately a lot of chat rooms not set up by you, specified for your friends and yourself, will contain a lot of people asking “a/s/l?” (age/sex/location) and saying, “I am [a/s/l], press [number] if you want to cyber.”
From Personal Experience
I personally have had experiences with chat rooms, forums, and random instant messages from users that are a bit on the suspicious side. I’ve been asked every question you can think of concerning sex and my location.
Luckily, I was smart about what I released to the general public. I did not show interest in the questions they asked and more often than not I blocked the users.
I still continued on to join sites such as MySpace and Facebook, which I do not discourage, just be smart when talking to other users that you do not personally know.
As I’ve said, don’t ever think it couldn’t happen to you, but also do not be paranoid when meeting people online. There are plenty of fun-loving internet goers out there just looking to make friends. Be smart and remember the clues to spotting an internet predator.
Copyright 2007; Ashley Curiel.