New Product: PredatorWatch Protects Your Kids From Online Predators

One of the biggest concerns today for parents with kids who spend time on the Internet is the threat of online predators. And there’s a reason for this concern. According to a 2006 survey by Crimes Against Children Research Center, 1 in 7 children between the ages of 10 and 17 are solicited or approached for sex on the internet and 34% where exposed to unwanted sexual material and online harassment increased by 9%. Now parents can rest a bit easier with PredatorWatch, a new program from software company, LiTera. Parents place the software on computers in their home and … Continue reading

Reporting online child predators – The CyberTipline

Plenty of adults do not know where or how to report incidents involving child predators or child sexual exploitation. Often, if parents or teachers find out about children who have been sexually solicited or targeted, they do not report the incidents. When adults do report incidents, often they stop short of filing reports with local law enforcement or a national child protection agency. Luckily, there are numerous resources for reporting sex crimes involving children. One of which I want to introduce is the CyberTipline. If you missed an earlier blog about the epidemic of online child sex crimes, you can … Continue reading

The epidemic of online child sexual crimes

The issue of keeping children safe from online child predators has steadily increased over the past few years. From newspapers (e.g., New York Times) to news journal shows (e.g., Dateline NBC) to popular daytime shows (e.g., Oprah), the topic has been discussed. I am amazed, however, at the number of parents, teachers, and adults who still think that the epidemic of online predators is not really an important issue. Yes, that’s right. I call it an epidemic. Thousands of children each year worldwide are solicited and even abducted as a result of participating in unmonitored online activities. It’s time for … Continue reading