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Safety Tips Large amounts of time spent online Most children that fall victim to computer-sex offenders spend large amounts of time online, particularly in chat rooms. Children online are at the greatest risk during the evening hours. While offenders are online around the clock, most work during the day and spend their evenings online trying to locate and lure children or seeking pornography. Presence of porn Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often supply their potential victims with pornography as a means of opening sexual discussions and for seduction. Child pornography may be used to show the child victim that sex between children and adults is "normal." Parents should be conscious of the fact that a child may hide the pornographic files on diskettes from them Mysterious calls? While talking to a child victim online is a thrill for a computer-sex offender, it can be very cumbersome. Most want to talk to the children on the telephone. They often engage in "phone sex" with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting for real sex. While a child may be hesitant to give out his/her home phone number, the computer-sex offenders will give out theirs. Getting gifts Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know. As part of the seduction process, it is common for offenders to send letters, photographs, and all manner of gifts to their potential victims. Computer-sex offenders have even sent plane tickets in order for the child to travel across the country to meet them. Hiding the screen Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room. A child looking at pornographic images or having sexually explicit conversations does not want you to see it on the screen. Withdrawn children Computer-sex offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and their family or at exploiting their relationship. They will accentuate any minor problems at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual victimization. What are the signs that your child may be at risk online? Below are some warning signs, taken from a guide prepared by the FBI based on actual investigations involving child victims, as well as investigations where law enforcement officers posed as children. Are any of the signs above causing you concern? Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders. Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign. Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child. Most telephone companies that offer Caller ID also offer a service that allows you to block your number from appearing on someone else's Caller ID. Move the computer outside of your child's bedroom. If alarming situations arise in your household, via the Internet or online service, you should immediately contact your local or state law enforcement agency, the FBI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Family contracts for online safety! Parents' pledge I will get to know the services and Web sites my child uses. If I don't know how to use them, I'll get my child to show me how. I will set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by my children and will discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. I'll remember to monitor their compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time they spend on the computer. I will not overreact if my child tells me about a problem he or she is having on the Internet. Instead, we'll work together to try to solve the problem and prevent it from happening again. I promise not to use a PC or the Internet as an electronic babysitter. I will help make the Internet a family activity and ask my child to help plan family events using the Internet. I will try to get to know my child's "online friends" just as I try get to know his or her other friends.

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