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Online Dangers To Children


online dangers to children

The Internet is an important invention for the world. It is opening up the doors of education and allowing people to connect and communicate in new and important ways. These days, more and more people have computers and Internet connections not only in their offices and workplaces, but they are also present in many homes and in most schools. Thus, children are becoming more and more used to using computers and the Internet not only for social reasons but also for academic endeavours. However, it is important for any parent or educator to understand that the Internet is a dangerous place. If you understand the online dangers to your children, you can then protect them from falling prey to schemes, traps, scams, and dangerous people lurking beyond the anonymity.

Social Networks And Paedophiles

Social networking websites are becoming more and more popular among children and adults alike. Facebook and MySpace are only two examples of such websites. This is a place for children to connect with the people in their lives. However, the issue comes down to anonymity: It is hard to be sure who you’re talking to. Anyone can post whatever they like on an online profile. They can post fake photographs, advertise fake products and lie about where they come from and even who they are. Thus, a child can’t be sure of the information they are seeing when they use such social networking websites. Additionally, consider the information on a child’s social networking profile. Do you want people to see half naked images of your child? Do you want teachers or potential employers to see your child half-naked?

This leads to one of the more serious and heartbreaking dangers online: paedophiles and other people who want to hurt or take advantage of children online. Because you can’t see the people talking to your child in chat rooms, via instant messaging systems, or through social networking websites, you can not be sure what they look like. A lot of men and women use the Internet as a way to lure children out to meet them. This is how paedophiles find their victims. Additionally, a lot of older men and women use the Internet as a form of free porn. If your child has scantily clad photographs of themselves on the Internet, then adult males and females may use this for less than innocent purposes.

Instant Messenger

Monitor the messaging programs a child is using. This is how children communicate with one another on the Internet, and you need to keep on eye on this. This is how a lot of inappropriate language and images are exchanged. You don’t want to think your child is doing their homework only to see they’re exchanging pornographic images. Many children use the Internet as a means of bullying other children, and you do not want to find out that your child has been bullied or is bullying other kids via the Internet. Additionally, you want to monitor if your child is exchanging files via this messaging system, as this is a major way for viruses to make their way onto your computer.

Also, you want to make sure you monitor the websites a child looks at while on the Internet. One of the biggest online dangers for children is that they will see things that they should not be seeing yet. This does is not only related to pornographic images or videos but to other forms of content: there are many racist and sexist websites on the Internet as well as problematic forums encouraging self-destructive behaviours like cutting or eating disorders. If you do not know the information your child is taking in while on the Internet, then you are not there to explain it or to put it into context. Thus, information children see while surfing the web could lead to some terrible thoughts or behaviours or could encourage the ones a child already has.

Identity Theft And Your Child

Do not think that identity theft can’t happen to a child: This can affect anyone on the Internet. All it takes is for a child to give their personal information to a stranger. The loss of an identity is incredibly time consuming and stressful. It can ruin a child’s credit and can be complicated if someone starts breaking the law using your child’s name (i.e. hacking into places using your child’s email account or information). Likewise, if your child gives out their personal information, it could put you and your family at risk of theft or worse. You don’t want someone they’ve been chatting up on the Internet to arrive at your door and demand money or more.

Lastly, it is important to monitor the amount of time a child spends on the Internet. You do not want their whole social world to exist on the Internet. This can lead to isolation and depression, especially to those children prone to social anxiety and the like. You don’t want a child to spend all of their time online because then they forget to interact with the world around them, a world not contained within the confines of a screen.


The internet is a brilliant place, it's just a shame that as with everything in life there are certain groups who will look to abuse it. Using monitoring software like ICU, Golden Eye or SpyAgent can help you mitigate against the online dangers to your children.