How can I minimize the risks when my child is using the Internet?

 By taking an active role in protecting your child from on-line predators.

The Internet can be a child's connection to the world. It can also bring him or her in contact with a variety of unsavory people. Parents need to be as concerned about this electronic neighborhood as they are about the physical one in which they raise their families.

It is evident that web-predators who prey upon children are loitering on the Internet, where masked by on-line anonymity, it is nearly impossible for children to distinguish them from ordinary, non-threatening web-surfers.

Teenagers are particularly at risk because they often use the Internet unsupervised and are more likely to participate in on-line discussions about companionship, relationships or sexual activity.

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Internet Safety Information
Discusses Internet safety for children and adults, identifies and defines potential risks, offers guidlelines for on-line safety and a downloadable pamphlet.
URL: http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/Schools_and_Communities/Internet_Safety/