TV host drives home dangers of Internet

BY BENJAMIN DUER

PLAIN TWP. Preying on today's youth — your kids — are adults that use the Internet to feed their sex drives.

Their stories have been told countless times; you've seen them on TV or read them in the newspaper.

And these adults may never quit trying to solicit minors for sexual encounters, said "Dateline NBC" correspondent Chris Hansen on Thursday.

Hansen, host of "To Catch a Predator," was guest speaker at the 2008 Women's Board of Aultman Hospital Care Connection program.

About 2,000 people attended the free event was held at First Christian Church in Plain Township.

Hansen told behind-the-scenes stories of his television specials, "To Catch a Predator," and his thoughts on Internet safety.

Massillon police detective Bobby Grizzard also shared his experiences with Internet sex crimes.

Grizzard said the Internet is a "target-rich" environment, with true predators trying to hook children into sexual encounters.

"Your kids are the bait — and your kids are the next meal," he told a captivated audience, many of whom shook their heads in disgust by the vivid accounts of his past cases.

Hansen told parents to teach their children not to talk to strangers online, as well as on the streets.

"These folks are not always who they say they are," said Hansen, author of "To Catch a Predator: Protecting Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home."

He said the answer is not to take away computers, but to monitor your child's activities online more closely.

He said children are less likely to tell their parents they've been solicited online if they feel they'll lose the computer.

One way to keep track of your son or daughter's online behavior is to install "keystroke" software on the computer, Hansen said. Such software records computer activity, which allows parents to review it later with a touch of keystroke. He said it records chats, Web sites, files, etc.

Jackson Township resident Bernadine Wade found this tidbit of information very helpful for her family.

"I don't know that much about computers," she said after the event.

Darlene Violet, chairwoman for the Women's Board of Aultman Hospital's Care Connection annual event, said it was important for the community to hear from Hansen and Grizzard.

"We really wanted to do something to help get the message out to the parents," she said.

PARENTAL TIPS

-- Put the family computer in an open area of your house; this allows you to monitor child's online actions.

-- Establish clear rules for Internet use and set time limits.

-- Spend time with your children while they're online.

-- Talk about what makes a Web site good or bad.

-- Buy Internet filtering software.

-- Make sure your child knows not everyone online is who they appear or pretend to be.

-- Teach your children to never send photographs over the Internet.

-- Teach your children not to give personal information, including passwords or real names, on the Internet.

-- Tell children to let you know if they feel scared when online, whether they receive a scary e-mail or message.

-- Teach them to never accept an invitation to go into a private chat room.

-- Teach your kids to never accept an Instant Message (IM) from a stranger or agree to meet with someone they met online.

Source: The Women's Board of Aultman Hospital

See reviews of the best Best Internet Monitoring Software