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As more and more children have access to computers and the internet,
more and more are also becoming victims of a new type of predator
- a child predator on the internet. Making the internet a dangerous
place for a child. According to many online services, reports
of children being stalked or harassed has gone up in the past
two years. They attribute this to falling computer prices and
many more people having computers and therefore access to the
internet. |
Copyright
of Canada's SchoolNet |
In a recent survey done in a middle school, two out of three
children indicated they have been
harassed or contacted by a stranger online. And there is nothing
that law enforcement can do. According to many police agencies,
since this is a new crime there are few laws on the books about
child predators online. The only way a predator can be prosecuted
is if they break the law by showing nude pictures of themselves
or soliciting intercourse from children online. Since there is
no way of tracing these people not many cases have been solved,
or even brought before a court of law.
The online service America
Online recommends that children under a certain age not have
a profile of themselves online. Also it is recommended by America
Online that parents should use certain controls with their account
- to control who can contact their child online.
It is also recommended by America Online and many police agencies
is that if you are a child and approached online by someone you
don't know report it to your online service. "This is the
only way that we can stop these people from harassing you or
another child again" says America Online.
With the current trend of falling computer prices, the reports
of children being harassed will certainly rise. |
