On-Line chat info/advice. Give this to teens/kids

dreamyjeanie

Cathlete
I got this as an email and thought I would share. Copy it and send/ share with your children. It is so easy for them to give out info without even knowing it.


Subject: To Be Given To Kids/Grandkids
>
>
>Fwd: Please Read & Give to your Kids/Grandkids
>
>
>This goes for boys as well as girls
>
>
> Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she
>walked toward home. The thought of being followed
>made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly, she
>told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe,
>she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up
>with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she
>was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick
>prayer, "God please get me home safe." She saw the
>porch light burning and she leaned against the door
>for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her
>home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone
>was there. The sidewalk was empty.
>After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to
>grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under
>her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her
>Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on.
> She sent him an instant message:
>By Angel213:
>Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was
>following me home today. It was really weird!
>GoTo123:
>LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be
>following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?
>ByAngel213:
>Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination
>cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
>GoTo123:
>Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't
>done that have you?
>ByAngel213:
>Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
>GoTo123:
>Did you have a softball game after school today?
>ByAngel213:
>Yes and we won!!
>GoTo123:
>That's great! Who did you play?
>ByAngel213:
>We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so
>gross! They look like bees. LOL
>GoTo123:
>What is your team called?
>ByAngel213:
>We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our
>uniforms. They are really cool.
>GoTo123:
>Did you pitch?
>ByAngel213:
>No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has
>to be done before my parents get home. I don't want
>them mad at me. Bye!
>GoTo123:
>Catch you later. Bye
>Meanwhile.....GoTo123 went to the member menu and
>began to search for her profile. When it came up, he
>highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen
>and began to write down what he knew about Angel so
>far:
>Her name: Shannon
>Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
>Age: 13
>State where she lived: North Carolina
>Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.
>Besides this information, he knew she lived in
>Canton because she had just told him. He knew she
>stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m every afternoon
>until her parents came home from work. He knew she
>played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school
>team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her
>favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew
>she was in the eight grade at the Canton Junior High
>School. She had told him all this in the
>conversations they had on- line. He had enough
> information to find her now.
>Shannon didn't tel l her parents about the incident
>on the way home from the ball park that day. She
>didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from
>walking home from the softball games. Parents were
>always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made
>her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had
>brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so
> overprotective.
>By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the
>footsteps following her.
>Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt
>someone staring at her. It was then that the memory
> came back. She glanced up from her second base
>position to see a man watching her closely.
>He was leaning against the fence behind first base
>and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look
>scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had
> felt.
>After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she
>talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once
>again as she walked past him. He nodded and sh e
>smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her
>shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked
>a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks
>to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived
>he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
>Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat
>until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He
>drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until
>time to make his move.
>Shannon was in her room later that evening when she
>heard voices in the living room.
>"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded
>upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into
>the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on
> the sofa.
>"Sit down," her father began, "this man has just
>told us a most interesting story about you."
>Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents
>anything? She had never seen him before today!
>"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked.
>"No," Shannon answered.
>"I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."
>Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a
>kid my age! He is 14 and he lives in Michigan!"
>The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it
>wasn't true. You see, Shannon, there are people
>on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them.
>But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I
>belong to a group of parents who do it to protect
>kids from predators. I came here to find you to
>teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people
>on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make
>it easy for me to find you. Your name the school you
>went to, the name of your ball team and the position
>you played. The number and name on your jersey just
> made finding you a breeze."
>Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in
>Michigan?"
>He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel
>safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"
>She nodded.
>"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only
>she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered
>her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to
>tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all
>the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into
>giving out information a little here and there
>on-line. Before you know it, you have told them
>enough for them to find you without even realizing
>you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson
>from this and won't do it again. Tell others about
> this so they will be safe too?"
>"It's a promise!"
>*****NOW*****
>Please send this to as many people as you can to
>teach them not to give any information about
>themselves. This world we live in today is too
>dangerous to even give out your age, let alone
> anything else.
 
Wow! I am going to make my daughters read this and paste it into an email to send to friends. I monitor them but they are on MySpace and that's an entity unto itself. Thank you! Thanak you! Thank you!
Bobbi "Chicks rule!"http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/tiere/animal-smiley-032.gif
Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
jeanie

I believe a "real life" story such as this is the best way to communicate dangers to children and teens. You can explain why nots and how tos all day long, but the most effective is seeing and hearing such things in action.

I had friend whose DS, then 6 or 7, kept wandering away from them in public places. They had a man, who was a friend but the boy did not know him, literally snatch him away when he wandered at a receational ballgame. He only walked away with him briefly and then returned him to his parents. My friend said her DS had nightmares for weeks, but soon recovered from them. He has NEVER wandered away or talked with strangers again.

The above seems like a "mean" thing to do, but my friend knew her DS and knew what it would take to get through to him and thereby hopefully save his life.
 
I don't think it's mean when you consider the danger he faced by wandering. It was a mesage they wanted driven home and it was startling but it was effective! I have discussed internet dangers with the girls at length and I knw they are as astounded as I when they hear of young girls who hook up with men from the internet, some knowingly. They know they are not to give out personal information but this clearly shows how easily tracking a child down can be. Even mentioning their high school is dangerous. They post photos of themselves. They would be easy to find. I shudder at the thought. Predators are as clever as they are sick in some cases.
Bobbi "Chicks rule!"http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/tiere/animal-smiley-032.gif
Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
This gave me the chills. I tell me daughter all the time to be careful and I try to monitor what she does on line, but I can't be everywhere and see everything. I am constantly on her back about giving out personal information.

She gave out her phone number to a kid she had never met a year ago and she told me about it that night. I asked her what she knew about him. She gave me all sorts of info - age , town, school, favorite music, etc. I told her that child molestors lie on line in order to get to the kids. If this young man wasn't actually a 14 year old, but a 32 year old, how could she be sure? It really scared her at the time, but I think the effect was short lived.

I am printing this out and giving it to her now. I hope it gets through. These kids hear us but keep thinking that they are somehow immune to this stuff. "It would never happen to me" syndrome.
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top