It may be difficult to think of your son or daughter being stalked or seduced online by a
sexual predator.
However, there are some signs to look for that may indicate your child is involved with an
online offender.
These include the following:
- Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.
- Most children that fall victim to computer-sex offenders spend large amounts of time
on-line, particularly in chat rooms. They may go on-line after dinner and on the
weekends. They may be latchkey kids whose parents have told them to stay at home
after school. They go on-line to chat with friends, make new friends, pass time, and
sometimes look for sexually explicit information. While much of the knowledge and
experience gained may be valuable, parents should consider monitoring the amount of
time spent on-line.
- Children on-line are at the greatest risk during the evening hours. While offenders are
on-line around the clock, most work during the day and spend their evenings on-line
trying to locate and lure children or are seeking pornography.
- You find pornography on your child's computer.
- Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often
supply their potential victims with pornography as a means of opening sexual
discussions and for seduction. Child pornography may be used to show the child victim
that sex between children and adults is "normal." Parents should be conscious of the
fact that a child may hide the pornographic files on diskettes from them. This may be
especially true if the computer is used by other family members.
- Your child receives phone calls from men you don't know or is making calls,
sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
- While talking to a child victim on-line is a thrill for a computer-sex offender, it can be
very cumbersome. Most want to talk to the children on the telephone. They often
engage in "phone sex" with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting for
real sex.
- While a child may be hesitant to give out his/her home phone number, the computer-
sex offenders will give out theirs. With Caller ID, they can readily find out the child's
phone number. Some computer-sex offenders have even obtained toll-free 800
numbers, so that their potential victims can call them without their parents finding out.
Others will tell the child to call collect. Both of these methods result in the computer-
sex offender being able to find out the child's phone number.
- Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
- As part of the seduction process, it is common for offenders to send letters,
photographs, and all manner of gifts to their potential victims. Computer-sex offenders
have even sent plane tickets in order for the child to travel across the country to meet
them.
- Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the
monitor when you come into the room.
- A child looking at pornographic images or having sexually explicit conversations does
not want you to see it on the screen.
- Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.
- Computer-sex offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and
their family or at exploiting their relationship. They will accentuate any minor problems
at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual
victimization.
- Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.
- Even if you don't subscribe to an on-line service or Internet service, your child may
meet an offender while on-line at a friend's house or the library. Most computers come
preloaded with on-line and/or Internet software. Computer-sex offenders will
sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communications with
them.
| Note: This article is for informational purposes only. If you are in need of mental health services, please contact a provider in your community. © 2008 Family Recovery Resources All Rights Reserved |
Sex offenders often supply children pornography as a means of opening sexual discussions and for seduction. |
Computer-sex offenders work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and his or her family in order to exploit the relationship. |
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