The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that as of 2012, there are nearly 750,000-registered sex offenders throughout the nation and more than 100,000 offenders are lost in the system. Some of the ways a sexual predator can find your child is through chat rooms, blogs, social networking, discussion boards and email. This is troubling when paired with a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau stating that more than 60 percent of children aged 3 to 17 years and 82 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds access the Internet.

Know How a Predator Seduces Your Child

• The first thing a predator does is show your child attention. He listens to and expresses sympathy for your child’s problems.
• He may offer gifts.
• He stays abreast of the music and hobbies that children enjoy.
• He may evaluate your child to determine if they can meet outside of the Internet.
• He will ease them into sexual conversations or gradually start showing them sexually explicit material.

Minimize Your Child’s Risk of Becoming a Victim

Use current news stories to discuss potential online dangers with your child. Let him or her know that they can talk to you about anything.

Pay attention to age limits on the social networking sites as they are there for your child’s protection. The majority of sites require users to be at least 13 years of age. Have your child choose a gender-neutral name to use online.

If your kid accesses the Internet elsewhere, find out what precautions those establishments and friends’ parents use to protect children’s safety while online.

Do not allow your children to have their own email until you feel comfortable about it. Have them use the family email address. Eventually, you can request that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) create a separate email address for them, so they’re mail can still remain in your email account.

If your child still encounters an online predator, do not blame him or her. The offender is always at fault. may

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She should not release information related to her age or location, including her school, grade, extra-curricular activities or any websites that could indicate where she lives, as a report from the California State Assembly Republican Caucus explains.  There are also safety settings built into the Windows programs (7, 8 and Vista), be sure to use them.

If she is going to use a chat room, she needs to remain in the public area. A private chat room may be referred to as a whisper area. These rooms are especially dangerous because chat monitors are unable to read these conversations. Security measures should also exist beyond the computer screen; you’ll want to purchase one of the best security systems available so your kids can stay safe at home, whether online or not.

If You Believe Your Child is a Target

• Look for pornographic files or sexual communication on your child’s computer.
• Always monitor their live electronic communications including instant messaging, email and chat rooms.
• If your child receives sexually explicit pictures or an individual solicits them through any online source, contact your police department and give them all the documentation related to these instances.