A recent Pew Research Center report revealed that 50 percent of all parents claim to use parental controls to monitor the Internet use of their children. Although no one wants their parents monitoring every single thing they do online, it’s nice to know they mean well and they want to keep you safe.

Other significant Pew statistics show that approximately 70 percent of parents are concerned about the way their sons and daughters interact with strangers online, and 69 percent worry that the online behavior of their children may affect future job prospects and academic opportunities. You might think it’s cute to flip the camera the bird in your Hello Kitty boyshorts, but the Dean of Admissions at your dream school might not a few years down the road.

A significant number of parents are acting on their concerns. Close to half of all parents have discussed online profiles with their teens, while 40 percent have conducted Internet searches using their children’s names. Scary to think about, but they’re not just snooping. In fact, there’s a new generation of online predators that might be after more than just inappropriate pictures of you . . .

Online Stranger Dangers

So why are so many parents concerned about your online life? Because it’s as easy as a click to find yourself on a website you can never unsee. These may contain pornographic material, hate material or violence. Whether you actively search for these sites or encounter them accidentally, they put you at risk of becoming involved in psychologically or physically harmful activities, some that you may not even realize.

• Exposure to sexual, violent, dangerous and criminal activity
• Physical molestation resulting from arranging a face-to-face meeting or providing personal information
• Harassment and bullying via abusive and insulting messages
• Inadvertently downloading a computer virus allowing a hacker to gain access to your computer and putting your family’s privacy and security at risk

Teens also make great targets for identity theft because most have a clean credit history, and parents rarely check their child’s credit report. According to LifeLock, I.D. theft is just one way children are abused online. Talking about these risks with your family, as well as using a monitoring system to keep you aware of potential dangers can help alleviate identity theft problems.

Online Bullying

Online bullying is more widespread than most of us even begin to realize,  and can take many forms. Pbs.org lists the following as some typical cyber bullying examples:

• Sending threatening emails
• Using technology to spread rumors or humiliate people with publication of embarrassing information
• Impersonating someone else online with the intention of doing them harm
• Mobbing someone in a chat room
• Using chat, IM, or a blog to isolate others and make them feel unwelcome

Cyberbullying is prevalent throughout the world. Even with appropriate anti-bullying legislation, it’s difficult to enforce as a crime. The most effective solution is through social behavior modification, according to the Cyber Crime Journal. Basically, be a bigger person, treat others how you would want to be treated, learn about integrity, and be an example to others.

What’s Next For Teens Online?

The Internet is ever expanding and as it does, the challenges we face become more formidable. Working on a socio-cultural level to make our environment safer is one way to combat cybercrime. Another way is to educate ourselves and our friends on best practices for working and playing in our cyber world.