Dart: Keeping kids safe from predators takes vigilance

Parents can take steps to minimize the risk of their middle schoolchildren falling prey to online predators, but there is no way to eliminate it, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said Monday.

While predators might be intelligent and can convince youngsters online to cooperate in a way they never could if they approached them at a mall or park - they are not looking for challenges, Dart said.

Warn children that people online can lie about their age, post a false picture and convince the girl or boy they are a soul mate, he added.

"As a general concept, any parent who is not actively involved with monitoring a child's Internet and what he or she is doing on it is asking for problems," Dart said. "This offers a perfect opportunity to talk about these issues," he added.

The sheriff's department offers these tips:

• Teens should not be online privately or have a computer in their own rooms.

• Allowing a teen to have online access from a cell phone is insane, he said.

• Have a frank conversation with your child about the realities. "Many, many children have been horribly hurt because of people they have met on the Internet," Dart said. "They can share information with their friends, but show restraint. If a stranger shows up online, let someone know."

• Never give out personal information such as name, address, school or phone number either online or on the phone.

• Be sure you have access to your children's accounts, and learn how to block sites and e-mails from your Internet provider. But remember that predators can get around your efforts.

•You want an open dialogue with your children, not hyperbole full of fear.

Kathleen Muldoon, deputy chief of the sex crimes division for the Cook County State's Attorney, heads up a task force that educates parents and children about Internet dangers. Parents should know more about the Internet than their youngsters do, she said.

Middle schoolers are often targeted because they use computers so much and they have more freedom, she said.

Her recommendations:

• Talk to children as young as kindergarten age - as soon as they start using computers.

• Learn from websites like those operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at missingkids.com or netsmartz.org. Another site she recommends is isafe.org.

• If solicited, harassed or frightened, a child should turn off the computer and report this to a teacher or parent. Adults can call 911 or the Center for Missing & Exploited Children at cybertipline.com or 1 (800) 843-5678.

• Besides leaving identifying information off profiles on social networking sites, Muldoon tells parents their children should avoid posting pictures of their houses, especially if they make the address obvious.

• Use a name like Soccer No. 1 so strangers don't know the child's gender

• Never post things like, "I'm free every afternoon when my mother is at work."