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Thursday, February 03, 2000 Page: 12A
No responsible parent would allow a minor to wander the aisles of an adult
video store, hang out in a darkened room full of anonymous strangers or join
in a discussion on sexual bondage.
But many parents do just that when they send their children off into the
Internet unsupervised.
Like most human endeavors, the Net has great potential for both good and
evil. Along with its easy access to news, information and entertainment from
around the world, the Internet also offers a cornucopia of pornography,
cybersex come-ons and lurking, anonymous adults.
It can be like sending your kids into a seedy neighborhood full of dirty
old men and loose women.
But the risk isn’t only that children will see things you don’t want them
to see. Some Internet chat rooms provide a haven for pedophiles and lay a trap
for children who might be enticed by them.
The Internet has played a role in three recent criminal cases – two in
Northeastern Pennsylvania – that illustrate the danger to unsupervised young
cybersurfers.
A Texas man accused of stalking a 13-year-old McAdoo girl he met in a chat
room was acquitted last week of stalking and harassment by a Luzerne County
jury, which deadlocked on two other counts – unlawful communication with and
corruption of a minor. Prosecutors expect him to be retried on the latter
counts.
A Hazleton man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy is also
suspected of downloading child pornography.
A Westmoreland County man was recently charged with molesting a 14-year old
Johnstown boy he allegedly met on the Internet.
Aside from more closely monitoring their children’s activities on the Net
and instructing them of the dangers, parents have some other options when
trying to protect their kids from cyberstalkers.
America Online and other providers give parents the power to restrict their
children’s access to certain types of Web sites and chat rooms. There are
software packages that screen out adult sites and kid-friendly search engines
that pass over dubious sites.
But, as always, nothing beats involved, committed parents who teach their
children to steer clear of dangerous places in cyberspace and monitor their
kids’ Web surfing.
Unlike pre-Web parents, who merely had to keep their kids away from bad
company in the neighborhood, today’s plugged-in parents have a much wider, and
less regulated, neighborhood to worry about.
For links to Web sites dealing with child safety on the Internet, visit our
homepage at www.leader.net