KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS (source: Federal Bureau of Investigation) Your child might be at risk if he or she: Spends large amounts of time online, especially late at night Turns off computer quickly when you come into the room or becomes upset when you ask to see what they are doing online Receives phone calls from adults you don’t know or is making long distance calls Receives mail or gifts from people you don’t know Uses an online account belonging to someone else DISTURBING STATISTICS 100,000 Web sites offering child pornography 79% of teens state that they aren't careful enough when giving out information about themselves online 64% of teens say that they do things online that they wouldn't want their parents to know about $3 billion Child pornography revenue annually 1 in 5 Children are sexually solicited online (only 25% of those told a parent) 89 % Sexual solicitations occurred in either chat rooms or Instant Messaging TAKING ACTION As a parent, learn as much as you can about the Internet (i.e. chatrooms, social networking sites, Web sites and news groups), especially from your children. Ask them to show you the places they visit online. This is a great way to keep the lines of communication open.