A new survey has found that many teens who have posted pictures or profiles of themselves online are not frightened or uncomfortable when a stranger contacts them.The study showed that fully 44% of teens with profiles at sites like Facebook and MySpace have been contacted by a stranger, compared to only 16% of those without profiles.
Overall, about half of those who have put their picture online have been contacted by a stranger, compared to 16% of those who have not posted a photo.
Some 10% of teens with online profiles and photos said a contact from a stranger made them scared. (I bet it sure scared the you-know-what out of their parents, if they knew.) Not surprisingly, teens using these social networking sites are more likely to be contacted.
We need to do a better job educating teens about risks on the Internet, and the dangers of these social networking sites in particular. It is well-known that predators and pedophiles hang out wherever teens gather.
Watch where your kids go and what they do online. You may want to limit their time on the Internet. You can also use parental controls in your browser to block certain sites.
As I have said often before, the predators are watching your teens online. You must watch them also!
Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online. He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century. Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here: => http://mypcsecuritysite.com/
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