Knowledge Center (Free Resources)

Education is a key component in protecting your family from identity theft, online predators, harassment, cyber bullying, pornography or violent content, and illegal P2P downloads. We strongly encourage you to join our online Community of Concerned Parents for the GuardChild Community Blog, articles, and web links promoting online safety and family well being, a searchable state-by-state sex offender registry, and an Instant Messaging/Chat/Text Messaging/Emoticon Glossary.

Below is a small sample of the resources GuardChild has put together for you (access hundreds more as a member), but some resources are TOO IMPORTANT not to share with you.

Toll-Free Resources:

• Operation Predator (Department of Homeland Security): 866-347-2423
• US Customs (child pornography): 800-BE-ALERT
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: 800-THE-LOST

Industry Links

• iSafe.org
• Cyber Angels
• NetSmartz

Articles:

• Is My Child Safe on the Internet?
• The Internet and Children: Finding the Right Balance

Child Internet Safety

• Internet Safety Tips (GuardChild)
• Online Computer Safety Brochure (New York State Senate)
• Is My Child OK Online (Clark and Kathy Kidd)
• Internet Safety Page for Kids, K-5 (US FBI)

How to Select Child Protection Software

• What makes a Good Internet Filter? (ContentWatch)
• Monitoring Software Definitions (GuardChild)

Recommended Reading

• Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens
• The Netroom Predator
• Coping With Dangers on the Internet
• How To Protect Your Child from Sexual Predators
• Internet Protect Your Kids: Keep Your Child Safe from the Dark Side of Technology
• Safety Net, Internet Safety, Child Pornography on the Net
• Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
• Cyber Rules: What You Really Need to Know About the Internet

Internet Crime and Abuse Statistics:

• The largest group of Internet porn consumers is children ages 12-17.
  
  
• In a recent survey, 86% of girls claimed to be able to conduct online chats without their parents knowing, 57% could read their parents' e-mail, and 54% could conduct a cyber relationship.
  
  
• 20% of teenaged Internet users have been the target of an unwanted sexual solicitation (requests for sexual activities, chat, or information).
  
  
• 41% of unwanted sexual solicitations, 29% of unwanted exposure to sexual materials, and 31% of harassment occurred when children were online with their friends.
  
  
• In 2004, there were at least 3,433 child abuse domains online; in 2006 there were at least 10,656.
  
  
• 70% of kids ages 8-18 have accidentally encountered online pornography, very often by entering an innocent search term while doing their homework.
  
  
• 31% of kids ages 12-18 have lied about their age in order to access a website.
  
  
• 90% of children ages 8-16 have seen online pornography.
  
  
• Law enforcement officials estimate that more than 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given moment.
  
  
• 20% of all Internet pornography involves children, with more than 20,000 new images posted weekly.
  
  
• 65% of 8-14 year olds have been involved in a cyber-bullying incident.
  
  
• 96% of teens use social networking applications such as Facebook, MySpace, Chat rooms, and blogs.
  
  
• 69% of teens regularly receive online communications from strangers and don't tell a parent or caretaker.
  
  
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• 86% of the girls polled said they could chat online without their parents’ knowledge - 57% could read their parents’ e-mail, and 54% could have a cyber relationship.
  
  
• Approximately 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in chat rooms or through Instant Messaging.
  
  
• 95% of parents don’t recognize common chat room lingo teenagers use such as when a parent is watching. The acronyms are POS (parent over shoulder), P911 (parent alert), and A/S/L (age/sex/location).
  
  
• An estimated 725,000 children have been "aggressively" asked for sex, defined as an offer to meet in person.
  
  
• The FBI reports a 2000 percent increase in the number of child pornography images on the internet since 1996.
  
  
• According to the FBI, Chat rooms offer the advantage of immediate communication around the world and provide the pedophile/predator with an anonymous means of recruiting children into sexually illicit relationships.
  
  
• Only 1/3 of households with Internet access are protecting their children with filtering or blocking software.
  
  
• Approximately 70% of all sex offenders released from prison will offend again.
  
  
• 1 in 33 youth received an aggressive sexual solicitation – Translation - A predator asked a young person to meet, called a young person on the phone, or sent the young person correspondence, money, or gifts.
  
  
• 77% of the victims for online predators were age 14 or older.
  
  
• Approximately 116,000 “child pornography” requests are made daily on the Internet.
  
  
• 1 in 5 youth ages 10 to 17 received a sexual solicitation or were approached online.
  
  
• Only a fraction of all inappropriate Internet episodes are reported to authorities.

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