Laying a Foundation to Keep Your Kids Safe from Online Predators
Jeanne Parker is DeliverFund’s new Director of Special Operations. You’ll hear more about her in next month’s newsletter, but for now, you should know that she spent her entire career in law enforcement working to protect kids from human traffickers. In this edition of The Targeter, Jeanne shares some helpful tips to protect your kids from online predators.
Even though we lock our doors at home and tell our kids not to talk to strangers, the invention of smart phones and other forms of online technology leaves an open door to allow strangers into our children’s bedrooms.
As parents, we are the gatekeepers for our homes and children. We have to be serious about monitoring our children’s online activities. Here are a few tips to keep them safe.
- Place your children’s phones in a central location to charge overnight.
- Have open, honest, age appropriate conversations with your children about the dangers of talking to strangers online.
- Make a rule that if your children do not know someone’s name, where they live, what school they attend, and their phone number, then that person is a stranger and they should have no contact with them online.
- Practice patience and understanding when your children report a stranger has contacted them. Take the opportunity to correct the problem, educate your children about the potential dangers of online activities, and encourage them to report to you if another problem is encountered.
These few simple steps can make a world of difference as you work to protect your children from online predators. It can happen to anyone. Don’t let your child be a statistic.
