As the cyber world becomes more important to our life, there are more people misusing it for illegal activities. You may think teenagers have no chance to involve in horrible crime, but actually there are different traps on the Internet that your children may fall into.
The cyberspace has been much more complicated than ten years ago. People can communicate through Facebook, MSN or Twitter. These network platforms are especially popular among teenagers, and are, at the same time, especially dangerous for them.
Compensated dating is one example. Do you know there are people seeking and providing sexual services online? In many sites, teenage boys and girls post their photos and prices and offer compensated dating. This prostitution activity still cannot be banned because there is no specific law against sex trade on the Net. So, it is a lot easier than you think for your children to be in touch with such activities, or more, be tempted by them. This is a kind of trap on the Internet.
Another kind of trap is drug taking. Illegal drug trade also runs on some websites, which target teenagers as their customers. In a few cases that police have cracked down on, we can see how it works: Drug takers upload videos of themselves taking drugs, and share their feelings. Teenagers who see them and think they are ‘cool’ can click a button and buy drugs online. Then they will be controlled by drugs or even be forced to do trafficking in drugs. This is another serious but inconspicuous trap on the Internet.
Other than the above problems, there is cyber-bullying, which seems to be a trivial issue. In reality, teenagers joining this kind of activities will be easily ‘convicted’. Take the ‘human flesh search engine’ as an example. People find the personal information of someone they dislike and then make it public or humiliating. It is quite possible that your children are joining these events, and you should know they will break the defamation and privacy policy at any moment.
The misuse of the Internet is real and is seizing every opportunity to catch your children, so how can you find out if they need help? The best way is to discuss the use of the Internet with them. If you are friendly, and can accept what they say before arguing with them, they will tell you what they are doing on the Net. And they will ask for your help if they are in trouble.
If your children have fallen into the traps, take action at once. Tell our school’s social worker Fai Gor, and he will give you help. Let your children know what they are doing is illegal. Please understand their feelings and support them until they can escape from the nightmare.