The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a non-profit agency that was established in 1984. NCMEC works closely with the government and law enforcement agencies across the United States. Not only do they help find missing children, they also provide assistance to children and the families of children who have been sexually exploited, abused, or abducted. NCMEC also focuses on educating the public and promoting awareness regarding those issues. Their CyberTipline is a widely-successful tool that the public may use to report Internet related crimes against children.
Click here for further information about NCMEC

Child Online Protection Laws

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. It prohibits U.S.-based Web sites from collecting any personal information from children under 13 years of age without parental consent. The act states that parental consent must be given prior to collection or use a child's personal information. The Web site operator is required to provide a privacy policy regarding their Web site, along with what the information collected will be used for and who will have access to the information.
The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is an attempt to limit children's exposure to obscene material online. The act requires that schools and libraries that accept federal funding must track the use of the Internet by children. Software must be installed on every computer to block or filter any harmful materials.
The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) required commercial Web sites to verify proof of age before giving users access to sexually explicit material considered obscene for minors. In 1999, a permanent injunction was ordered against its enforcement.
The Child Pornography Protection Act (CPPA) states that the possession or posting of digital/electronic visual representations of minors engaged in sexual activity is illegal. The law is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court.

Family Contract for Online Safety

It is important that parents communicate with their children to help them understand the risks of the Internet. Developing a family contract can be very helpful to remind children what the household rules are for using the Internet. Parents should also read over each rule with the child to make sure that they understand what they are signing. If children do not abide by the rules of the contract, penalty may be along the lines of not being able to use the computer for a week. The following is a link with family contracts that parents can use or modify as they see fit. Family Contracts

Sexual Crimes Against Children

Many parents today see many stories about sexual crimes against children. Any requests towards children under the age of consent (varies in different states) from an adult to engage in sexual activities, sexual talk, giving out personal sexual information is sexual solicitation. These solicitations may involve the perpetrator requesting offline contact with child through the mail, on the telephone, or in person. Another type of sexual oriented crimes against children is unwanted exposure to sexual material. If a child is on the Internet, there are many ways for them to view obscene material. Just opening email, links, accidentally clicking something or even pop up advertisements, whether the children are seeking the material or not is a crime. This includes being exposed to pictures of naked people or people engaging in sexual activity. It is important to monitor the use of the Internet by children. These sexual crimes are a perfect example of why adults must enforce and adhere to strict household or classroom rules regarding the use of the Internet.

Why Children are Targeted

Internet crimes present hazards to all children, all over the world. Children in particular are targeted because they are naïve and can be convinced to do things that they do not necessarily know are wrong. There are many different types of Internet crimes that commonly target children. One of the obvious crimes that may parents fear is exposure to inappropriate material, may it be sexual, hateful, violent in nature, or encourages activities that are dangerous or illegal. Children can seek out such material, but it is more likely that they will encounter it through email, pop up advertisements, and chat rooms. Viruses, hackers, and spy ware are also ways that can potentially jeopardize not only the child’s privacy and safety, but the family’s privacy and safety as well. Hackers can gain remote access to the family computer, allowing them free range to view all personal files and documents. There is also the legal and financial aspect of Internet crimes. Children can often be conned into providing someone with a credit-card number or doing something that they do not realize is actually illegal. It is important for parents to never save their own personal passwords on their family computer, nor save any credit-card information. Accessing this private information is easier than one might assume.

Victimization

Cyber crimes are unique and certainly not victimless. There are many illegal activities occurring on the Internet, and many people do not know that they are the victim. Software today can digitally transform innocent pictures or images of children into pornographic material and then distributed without one knowing. This victimization can last many years without someone realizing that they are the victim. Unfortunately, if people do eventually realize that they are victims of Internet crimes, many do not disclose their victimization to the proper authorities. It is of the utmost importance to notify law enforcement immediately to stop the crime from progressing.

Location is Everything

The most important thing to take into consideration when you have a child who uses the Internet is the physical location of the computer. Many parents overlook where the child’s computer or the family computer is located. The absolute worst place to allow children to access the Internet is in their bedroom. If the computer is out of sight, parents are unable to supervise what the child is doing and where the child is going online. Children accessing the Internet located on computers in an open area are less likely to look at inappropriate images, communicate with unknown people, post personal pictures, and give out personal information. Knowing that someone may be looking over their shoulder keeps them from doing things that they know are wrong. Children accessing the Internet from the comfort of their bedroom have the privacy to go to whatever Web sites they choose and communicate with whomever they choose without having to worry about anyone seeing what they are doing. If a computer is located in a child’s bedroom, it is important that they do not have access to the Internet. Keep in mind that many children today are so technologically savvy that they are able to tap into wireless networks with ease!