Online Victims vs. Street Victims: Child Bullying and Exploitation Gets a New Face

The internet has given a new ugly face to child exploitation and bullying when it comes to the apparent dangers children face online versus the common conceptions of physical 'street danger'.

Experts have said that bullying children can have scars that last a lifetime and the online social network world is not helping. When it comes to protecting our children in this day and age we face hardship from all angles not only on the physical street forefront but through the internet into our living rooms and classrooms.

The internet posses a great risk to children from being bullied to being exploited from extreme degrees of pornography, social engineering and even solicitation. It has been estimated by the National Youth Violence Prevention Center that nearly 30% of U.S. teens, a total of 5.7 million, have been bullied by someone or targeted by bullies over the internet. No longer does a child abuser have to seek children at the playground or down the street, they can simply become the child's 'friend' over the internet.

The terminology 'Stranger Danger' is a concept that has long applied solely to the physical streets. It is usually where a child is told to simply avoid strangers or those individuals that they do not know. These 'strangers' may approach them while outside at play or walking home from school. That may have been the case of a typical childhood 15 years ago but today the dangers have taken on a different face, one that is found through the internet via computers and smartphones.

Bullying and exploiting kids is usually a relentless act of several behaviors including name-calling, coercion, written threats, social ostracism, trafficking and even some forms of mental abuse. Many teens utilize the internet not just for research but to communicate and socialize with the world. Using the internet puts kids at risks of being confronted by sex offenders, hackers and cybercrooks. There have been many cases where hackers have taken advantage of users on Facebook to pilfer personal information, some belonging to kids. Even worst, pedophiles have used the internet to initiate private meetings with kids that may have lead to actual physical abuse.

Child trafficking is also a serious crime that has been taken to the virtual world. Although cell phones and the internet try to make our lives easier, human traffickers look to this technology in to prey on the young. Some international organizations that traffic kids utilize the internet to recruit victims ultimately yielding a multi-billion dollar business in some areas of the world.

Parents and even teachers should all realize that the internet can be accessed by smartphones is the same internet accessed through a computer. Giving a child a cell phone not only puts them in close communication with their parents, but it will also give them a gateway to cybercriminals. Sexting, the act of texting explicit photos or sexually toned messages through cell phones, has become a serious epidemic among teens. Once again, sex offenders may find their way onto your child's list of favorite texting buddies if they are not careful.

The Solution to Child Bullying and Exploitation over the internet?

Parents and teachers should learn what type of access their children have to the internet and should become their 'virtual' friend on any social networks, such as Facebook, to monitor their activity. Parents and teachers will naturally learn how this technology can be used safely and at the same time keep tabs on their child's activities online and in the physical world.

What benefit or drawbacks do you find with your kids, or kids you know, having access to the internet and smartphone internet access?