Parenting
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Do Teen Avatars Lure Online Predators?
user
Dr.
Alanna Levine: Are you web-savvy or are your
kids better at navigating the web than you are?
In this day and age, it is important for parents to
educate themselves on what kids are doing on the web
and to monitor their activity. According to the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), children of all ages should be supervised on the
Internet, but it's especially important to talk to your older
children about the dangers of sharing personal
information on the web, and about the ways in which
they represent themselves online.
Studies have found
that 1 in 5 adolescents have been solicited over the Internet. And,
a new study in the June edition of Pediatrics found that the more
provocative an adolescent girl's self-presentation online, the
greater the chance she will be solicited. Many social networking
sites like
MySpace and Facebook allow members to post
pictures and brief descriptions of themselves. Some sites allow
them to create avatars, custom virtual identities in cartoon form.
Parents should talk to their teens about their online
personas and explain the impact of their chosen representations.
Even the cartoon avatars can be provocative. Adolescents are easy
victims for Internet predators because they don't always have
the social sophistication to recognize when they are being
targeted, or to handle the situation appropriately.
What should parents tell their teens?
- The web isn't private -- personal information can be gained
from member profiles.
- Be careful about both the pictures you post, and the text.
- If you are uncomfortable, don't respond. Tell an
adult.
- Never get together with someone you meet online.
- It may seem fun to pretend to be someone else and talk in a
chat room, but this can be dangerous and should be avoided.
- Do not give out your
passwords, even to your best friends.
- Never send a message you would not say face-to-face.
How can parents ensure that their kids are safely surfing the
web? There are some great resources available:
Check out
our Internet Safety Resource Guide
|
|
Dr. Alanna Levine is a pediatrician in
private practice and on
staff at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, where
she
attends high risk deliveries and cares for babies in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She is a national
spokesperson
for the American Academy of Pediatrics and frequently
appears on television as a medical expert. Dr. Levine lives
in
New York with her husband and their two
children. |
RELATED FROM MOMLOGIC
Related: teens, social network, profile, pictures, online, facebook, chat
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Posted by bookluva Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:23pm PDT
and that's why the "edit privacy settings" tab, the "ignore friend request" button, the "report" feature, the "Hide" application, and the "standard avatar" (little gray silloette of a person) option exist...bet cha didn't even no about those, did you? All my friends have to use them, or the little iron curtain that is "Parental control" (with some groundage for good measure) will fall, and it'll fall hard.
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Posted by Stephanie Fri Jul 3, 2009 9:34am PDT
Can I first just say that a provocative avatar is NO excuse for a sexual predator? People constantly blame the victim: "her short skirt," "the way she swung her hips," "her avatar." There is NO excuse for that extreme of a lack of self-control in anybody, man or woman.
Because I don't live under a rock, however, I do think that parents should monitor all of their teens internet use and make sure that teens are not portraying something they don't want to be. Just because something shouldn't be an excuse doesn't mean it won't be used as such, and parents really should monitor their teens' internet use.
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Posted by HANK Sat Jul 4, 2009 5:01am PDT
I'm sorry but any guy that would go online and take advantage of a young girl is a jerk and deserves to go to death row. There are plenty of girls of legal age out there that would like to hook up and spend their time doing whatever you want to do to take care of your wants. Leave the young girls alone and concentrate on those of age that are willing and things will be allot better for everyone.
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Posted by erin Sun Jul 5, 2009 8:47am PDT
I agree about the avitar.
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Posted by erin Sun Jul 5, 2009 8:54am PDT
I think no one is realizing that young girls in their teens are talking to strangers about sex, they are not without some blame for allowing the onversation to go on and not telling an adult who will help them. I'm not saying it's entierly their fault but they talk online with their friends about it and also will joke around with strangers about it. It's a game to see who takes it seriously and who really want's to see naked pitures and things of that matter, sorry my key board is broken. However it's not an exuse for them to be doing it and parents need to have that talk with them so they realize it's right and they might beome a target for a perv.
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