Teach Your Child the Dangers That Lurk on the Internet – Part 3

Pornography

The Internet is making it pornography easier for children, teens, and adults to access.  Therefore in 2011, the United States passed a law to make it easier to prosecute individuals who promote online child pornography and child sexual exploitation.  Children and teenagers often begin exploring pornography to learn about sex because their parents refuse to educate their children about it.  Often times their fascination to learning will turn into an addiction.  They want  to find out everything there is no know about sex and sexual relationships, including the different types of sex.  Often times a teen will hide what they are doing; especially, what they are doing online when they know that they shouldn’t be doing it.  The best way that a parent can prevent pornography from becoming an issue is to educate your child about sex and also set up strict boundaries, monitor their Internet usage, and move the computer to an open room in the house.

Viruses

A computer virus can be downloaded by anyone, not just your teenager.  However, it is important to teach your child to download programs, games, and other files from reputable online sources.  An infected computer can compromise sensitive data and information on your computer, which could potentially allow an intruder to use that information to harm your reputation.  To help prevent viruses from infecting your computer purchase antivirus software or contact your Internet provider (some Internet providers offer free software with their services).  Once you install virus protection, you need to make sure that you update it frequently or it can’t do its job properly.

Downloading Illegal Music, Movies, Games, and Software

Many teenagers find ways to download illegal copies of their favorite music, movies, games, and software.  Downloading these files from illegal sources is considered stealing.  Many people have been prosecuted for having illegal copies of music, movies, games, and software on their computer.  So parents need to educate their children not to download files from illegal websites, as their activity is traceable.  An example of an illegal website that was in the news several years ago was Napster, but there are hundreds of illegal file sharing websites on the Internet.  Parents can prevent illegal downloading by monitoring their child’s computer activities.

Has your child been a victim of bullying or cyberbullying?

Comments

16 responses to “Teach Your Child the Dangers That Lurk on the Internet – Part 3”

  1. Gangesh Avatar

    Great Post, really a helpful for teenagers! Shared it too…

    1. Christy Avatar

      Thank you for sharing my post, I really appreciate it.

  2. veronica Avatar
    veronica

    It all goes back to parents responsibility and the relationship they have with their kids.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Yes, you are correct Veronica. It is best for parents to build a lasting relationship with their child at a very young age and don’t wait until issues like these come up. You want your child to always feel comfortable talking to you about their problems.

  3. Kevin Hardin Avatar

    Great information

    1. Christy Avatar

      Thank you Kevin.

  4. Don Purdum Avatar

    I agree with what you said. However, we raised our boys and are very involved in their lives. The key is to not let the web teach your kids, you teach your kids.

    1. Christy Avatar

      I agree Don, the Internet is full of information and it isn’t always correct or teach them your values. Thank you for sharing.

  5. Saranna Avatar

    I couldn’t agree more with all your points. My kids are strictly supervised on the net.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Great job Saranna, thank you for sharing.

  6. Meli Avatar

    Although I don’t have younger children or teenagers, I have friends who have children or grandchildren in this age group. Thanks for the great information.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Your welcome Meli, thank you for stopping by.

  7. Jim Striegel Avatar

    This is really good stuff you’re sharing!

    1. Christy Avatar

      Thank you Jim.

  8. Andrew John Avatar
    Andrew John

    Its very essential to monitor your child’s internet activity or else your ignorance can lead to a big problem.

    Its mandatory for home internet providers to block porn, casino and poker sites.

  9. Elayna Fernandez ~ The Positive MOM Avatar

    The best child internet monitor is mom. I use software to block websites, but there are many traps out there either way that you wouldn’t know how to block. The best option is to teach our children to avoid those practices.