Ways Parents Can Supervise Kids Online Activity
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JACKSON, Tenn. – The internet has provided strangers with a new way to talk to children, and from the comfort of their own homes. Jerria Taylor said she has been stalked online by an older male and said she believes it is more common than most people think. “I just told my mom, and we told the person, ‘STOP! I’m underage. You need to leave me alone.’ and they would back off and I would block them,” she said. Taylor’s case is not uncommon especially here in West Tennessee. According to a new study by ECHO, the Electronic Communication Harassment Observation, online stalking is twice as common as face-to-face stalking. Computer experts believe that is because the internet provides a quicker and more discreet way for sexual predators to reach a younger audience. Bobby Atachi spends his days working on computers and said there are many ways parents can monitor what sites their children use. He said the best defense in keeping children safe is paying attention. “In your browser you can put keywords. For example, sex, porn, and any site that has those words will be blocked,” he said. Atachi said besides restricting what kids can freely browse on the internet they need to be taught what not to share. He said it is the responsibility of the parent to talk with their children about the dangers the internet can pose. “You’ll be better off just telling them not to do it, and keeping an eye on them, than putting a program on there spying on them. It’s not gonna work,” he said. Atachi said in cases when parents cannot be around, there are computer programs that can monitor and restrict computer use for children.
