Have you ever watched those Nature shows on TV? It has always amazed me how so many animals of every species will protect their young to the death. For them, defending their young is often a matter of true life and death. Whether it is the mother goose trying to protect her young from the stalking wolves, or a family of rabbits who are scurrying from the diving eagle. You may not suspect it, but do you know your children are being stalked? Their foe is cunning and vile and their peril is every bit as serious as that of the geese or rabbits. You may put up alarm systems, and lock your doors at night, but that does nothing to protect your children from venomous bite of pornography. It comes quietly into the walls of your home. Unsuspecting children spurned by curiosity may find its beckons harmless at first, but before long their innocence is stolen and they are left victims of the suffocating and debasing plague. The first step to protecting your children is realizing you need to!

            Many parents, placing duly earned trust in their children, would never expect their son or daughter to seek pornography online. Unfortunately, because of evil men who use technological tricks to peddle their foul sludge, pornography does not need to be sought to be found. It seeks your children. They can be engaged in harmless searches and be redirected to or lured into dark internet alleys. Even when your children have earned your trust, it is no longer assurance enough because it is not just up to them.

            So how do you fight such a pervasive foe? The only 100% effective method to prevent exposure in your home is to not have the internet in your home. Because that is unlikely, here are a few simple starting points for protecting your children:

• Place the family computer in a public, well trafficked place in the home.
• NEVER allow children (especially teenagers) to have a computer in their room!
• Do not allow children and young teenagers to have unsupervised access to the internet. Sit with them. Be involved.
• Do not give individual passwords to access the internet to children and teenagers.
• Establish clear rules for the internet in your home. For instance, rule #1) The computer is not a private space. It is a public place in the home. Therefore your children must know from the beginning that using the computer is giving you right to see what they are doing and perhaps visa versa. That way you cannot be accused of snooping. It is just a public place. Let them know before hand that it will be checked regularly (including email). It is simply a condition of use.
• Review the internet history often and be aware that your children will know how to delete the history. Reviewing the internet history with your children is encouraged.
• Talk with your children. Warn them about unsafe internet practices like image searches and giving out personal information.
• Beware of sites like myspace which can be a preditor’s playground.
• Be aware of any content your child has placed online. Watch for anything from home addresses and telephone numbers to revealing photos.
• Do not allow internet access when they are home alone. This is where it may be important not to give them their own access to the internet.
• Talk about any internet activity that happens at their friends houses. Get to know the parents of their friends and talk with them about their internet practices.
• Just because they are doing their homework on the computer does not mean they are safe from inappropriate material. 90% of children aged 8-16 have viewed pornography, most of which was while they were doing their homework online.