How to Safeguard Your Child from Online Groomers

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Make it a household rule that children and teenagers do not give out personal information online.

   This includes home and school address, real name, phone numbers, age, places they like to play or visit, what their parents do for a living and where their parents work.
2. 2

   Step 2: Keep your virus checks up to date and regular.

   If the computer your child is using has a camera or webcam, a computer Trojan can sometimes turn the camera on without you knowing, allowing the person at the other end to watch everything. , Keeping in mind that most child-oriented website chatrooms are the equivalent of fun penpal style exchanges, you can take a few moments to check out the chatroom to see if it's suitable or not.
   
   Steer children to sites or chat areas that are safer for children, including those with regular adult staff monitoring of children's chatter and strict rules and enforcement on giving out private information.
   
   Help your kids to find suitable chat forums online.
   
   The aim is to find ones monitored regularly by adults, rather than a mere program picking up offensive words. , Contact your internet service provider and let them know of your concerns, along with any facts to back up what you're saying.
   
   If you're very concerned, you might also consider contacting the police.
3. 3

   Step 3: Ask your children and teens which chatrooms they're spending time in.

4. 4

   Step 4: If you're concerned that someone might be grooming your child or teen

5. 5

   Step 5: ask them to stop using the site or even the computer.

Detailed Guide

About the Author