The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

Opinion

Discussion

June 22, 2007

Parents must join police in stopping Internet evildoers

There’s no doubt the Internet has changed the world. It is a great resource for quick information and entertainment.

However, it has a very, very dark side that is hard to control. Pornography is easily accessible. And, pedophiles and predators are finding easy access to children through innocent social online networks.

Enid Police Department’s new Internet Crimes Against Children unit is working to try to catch predators. This is a very necessary tool for any local police department to have, and we’re glad the city is investing resources in this endeavor.

We’ve all been made aware of television news shows that work with children’s advocacy groups to catch predators who are trying to lure children into sexual relationships via the Internet. It’s frightening to any parent just how many people there are out there willing and wanting to sexually exploit children.

While the EPD’s new unit is a good tool in fighting these kinds of crimes locally, the first line of defense is parental involvement. Parents must know what their children are doing on the computer. Spyware or parental controls are available, but the best way to protect children from Internet predators is to talk to them about the dangers and sit down with them at the computer while they are on it. A good relationship with our kids also is important, so they will tell parents if they are approached while online.

It is a scary world out there, and we must do all we can to protect our children from the dangers of online predators.

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