For whatever reason, kids seem to pick up on the latest technology faster than adults. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; after all, they were the ones who figured out how to put their new Christmas present together and make the VCR stop flashing 12:00. But unfortunately, the bad guys seem to pick up new technology just as quickly. Perhaps nowhere is this more prevalent than with the case of computers and cell phones. If you’ve ever seen "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline NBC, you are well aware that there are sexual predators out there searching for victims online. The threat is real, and unfortunately growing.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, approximately one out of every seven youth (10 to 17 years old) has received an online sexual solicitation or been approached over the Internet and 34% have unwanted exposure to sexual material. The most recent weekly report from CyberTipline, dated July 14, 2008, charted 186 online enticements of children for sexual acts. That’s just for one week, and those are only the ones that were reported. In a speech about Internet predators, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales cited a statistic that 50,000 would-be pedophiles were prowling the Internet at any given moment.

So what can parents do when their children learn their way around the Internet faster and are busy doing things the parents struggle to understand? You know it’s dangerous and the kids may not, but chances are they know the computer better. Let’s face it – they can carry on entire conversations using IM or texting at break-neck speed without actually typing one complete word. (RUS? NW! ROFL!)

You’ve already taken a very big step in the right direction with your Bsafe filter. We work very hard to protect your children from the bad guys and the darker parts of the Internet. PredAlert will block known offenders from contacting your child and monitor and filter everyone else. You can (and should) review your child’s chat logs and see who he or she has been talking to and what is being said. The filter itself will protect them from the darker parts of the Web - from pornography to drugs to being able to download a term paper for English Lit.

But like most things in being a parent, the more involved you are, the better. You may not know as much as your child does about the Internet, but here are some tips about the Internet that will go a long way in keeping them protected.

1. Keep the computer in a well-traveled room. This will cut down on the chances of a risqué conversation or playing with the web cam. More and more people are speaking out on the dangers of children having computers in their rooms – most notably among them are the parents of children who have been victimized online.
2. Set limits on how often and when the computer can be used. Using your Bsafe filter, you can determine when the Internet can and cannot be accessed. If no one in your house has a good reason to be online at 3 AM, set the filter to block the Internet after bedtime.
3. Pay attention to how your child reacts when they’re on the computer and you walk by. Are they quickly closing chat windows or switching screens? You’re a parent – you know the guilty look. Keep an eye out for it when they’re online.
4. Be very careful with digital cameras and web cams. Predators and pedophiles will ask for pictures and video, usually innocently enough at first under the pretense that they want to see who they’re talking to. But eventually, after enough encouragement, your child may be enticed into sharing much more than they, or you, are comfortable with. Again, keeping the computer in the living room and not the bedroom will reduce the temptation of being lured into such a situation.
5. Perhaps most importantly, talk with your kids about the dangers and set some ground rules on what they should and should not do online.
• Never give out personal information, such as name, school, address, city, E-mail address, or phone numbers. This applies to what is on your child’s profile as well as answering questions when asked for this information.
• Never meet with a person they met online unless you approve it first. The odds are that person will not be exactly, or in some cases not even close, to how they described themselves online.
• For social websites like MySpace or Facebook, use the privacy settings to allow access only to those who are invited. A good rule of thumb for social sites is that if it’s not something you would tell a complete stranger, don’t put it on your website.
• Be careful about the pictures that are sent or posted. For example, does the picture show a school name, a license plate, an obvious landmark, or anything that can be used to actually identify the location of your child?
• Some red flags when conversing online:
• Any request to meet
• Requests for personal information – phone number, address, photo, etc.
• Excessive compliments, especially over little things
• Repeated or multiple questions about the home situation, such as how many brothers and sisters do you have, where are your parents, etc.
• Attempts to form a bond through repeated use of nicknames like "pumpkin" or "you're the only one who understands"
• “Don’t tell anyone” and “our little secret” – these are both huge red flags

You may never know more than your kids when it comes to the computer. But hopefully, after reading this, you know enough to keep them at least a little safer while they’re running circles around you.