Children and internet safety Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Children and internet safety - Research Paper Example The Internet assists us when we need it, but it also provides con artists and other predators into our children’s lives. We as parents have a moral obligation to protect our children against the devastating effects of what is available on the Internet. The difficulty remains, however, of how we assure our children’s safety. Parents are given charge of their children not merely through having created them. The want to protect and foster their children is an innate need that humans have. Therefore, it is imperative that parents not only monitor what their children view online, but whom they may be talking to. Given the capacity we now have to acquire data on any given subject, there are bound to be flaws in the system, as well as the ability to obtain information that most people would view as highly inappropriate. Violent episodes are abundant on the World Wide Web, from media accounts and vicious fighting, to â€Å"hate sites that encourage the discrimination of specif ic people. Data are lacking to illuminate how many youth are intentionally accessing violent websites.† (Hamburger, M. E., Ybarra, M. L., Leaf, P. J. and West, 2011). The trouble with children accessing violent sites are in the detriment that child can potentially incur. Children are effortlessly misled to believe what they see on television or the Internet is viable and useful information. However unfortunate, even Modi 1 The most well adjusted child’s psyche can fall prey to horrific scenes of violence, which can produce fear, anxiety and even anger. This can cause extensive harm to the child’s overall sense of self, and their well-being. ... Commercials of any kind are always aimed at a particular audience, whether it is an age group, gender, race or religion. In families that are tightly knit, parents often feel that they have greater control over their children, and what they view. They are often considered more attentive to their children and their activities as well, therefore giving them perceived control over their internet usage. This perception can actually be translated into reality in many cases. â€Å"†¦The higher perceived control over children’s Internet usage, the less children’s exposure to negative Internet content.† (Cheon, Hongsik John, 01 Dec. 2005) This should serve as an epiphany for any parent with concerns over what their children are viewing. Parents that question their children and what they observe on television and Internet have a propensity to implement more restrictions on their television and their computer. In today’s information age, even televisions are so ld with the ability to allow or disallow certain ratings of programs. This enables parents to preserve the naivete of their children even more. Frequently, adults view the Internet as a place for predators, namely pedophiles. Modi 2 A recent report states, â€Å"That there are an estimated one million pedophiles online.† (Descy, Don E., 2006) given those statistics, it is even more imperative that parents keep a dedicated eye on their children’s Internet accesses to prevent their child falling victim to an unscrupulous predator. Thankfully, there are people out there that have created programs to not only identify, but also capture pedophiles and prevent the victimization of children. One such program, called Perverted Justice (perverted-justice.com, 25 Feb. 2011)