What kind of people target children on the Internet?

We’ve all heard of pedophiles preying on children on the internet, and with the Dateline NBC series To Catch a Predator, millions of Americans saw some of these predators.

When we think of a predator, we often think of a reclusive, toothless, “farmhouse” person wearing a tank top (sometimes called a “wife beater”) while rapidly typing online; all the while pretending to be a 15 year old boy. However, this was not the type of person the United States saw entering homes set up as sting operations by Dateline and law enforcement.

There was the baby-faced unemployed man who, one day after being caught by the police, was caught committing the exact same cybercrime using a McDonald’s WiFi system the next day! Even Dateline NBC’s Chris Hanson couldn’t hide his disbelief on camera when the man walked out of the fast food lobby after police observed his actions online.

Then, there was the young man who had been married for exactly two months. Two months of marriage, and he felt that he had to chase an underage girl for sex online!

Then there was the rabbi. a clergyman; a man of the cloth A person who is held in the highest respect within the Jewish community and beyond. That man is now serving a prison sentence for his crime.

There have been other news sources reporting crimes that were committed after an adult and a child met online. In Danbury Connecticut, a sixth-grader girl was murdered by a man she had originally met online and with whom she had repeatedly met for sex.

Also in Connecticut, not far from the first crime, a 16-year-old girl was raped by a man she met in an Internet chat room.

In western Washington, an admitted pedophile created a kind of “how to manual” for pedophiles. From Fox News:

A website created by a pedophile is a virtual “how to” manual, complete with the best places in western Washington state to see girls and tips on how to avoid getting caught by the police.

This gentleman has photos of girls in the area; children who have not been given permission to be photographed. His parents have also not given this man permission to post photos of their vulnerable children online. The police can’t do anything to stop this man because he officially hasn’t committed any crime. However, his website has photos of local children. A website DESIGNED for pedophiles.

Parents, it is my opinion that you SHOULD take steps to protect your child from becoming the next statistic. If you haven’t already warned them not to give out personal information like addresses and phone numbers, do so today. View their profiles on networking sites like MySpace and look at their friends lists. Ask what sites they frequent and what they like about those sites. Also ask the difficult questions; Has anyone ever approached you on an Internet site and said or did something that made you feel uncomfortable?

I am committed to keeping children and teens safe from the dangers online. Not only is there information for parents on my website, but there is also a message board forum for parents, educators, and other interested parties to discuss what can be done to keep children safe online, as well as a place to post stories about the steps their family has taken to keep their own children safe online. I have also included a news page that shows what can happen to them and what happens to the children of people they have met on the Internet. Another feature of my site is a partnership with others who have websites designed for children’s online safety. These include CyberAngels and KidsBeSafeOnline.

Anyone with information for parents or educators on keeping children safe online, or anyone who wants to see information about online safety, can visit my site. Come and chat, post your story or just check out the information.