| How to Protect the Kids When They're Surfing the Web by Mary May Larmoyeux |
| Since you're reading this article, I believe that you care deeply for your children and want the best for them. Because of that, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions: 1) Would you allow unlocked doors when your kids are staying home alone? 2) Would you post a sign in front of your house saying, “Mom and Dad aren’t here now. Welcome, strangers! Come in and talk to our children about whatever you want to.” Of course not! And yet, many of us do that very thing as we leave our family unprotected against Internet predators. A Wake-Up Call Jennifer Powell wrote in the April 2007 issue of Focus on the Family’s ClubHouse magazine that 54 percent of families with Internet access use web filters. “54 percent,” you say, “sounds pretty good to me!” Well … think about it for a minute. Since an estimated 80 million children surf the web, that leaves approximately 39 million kids unprotected from inappropriate websites, chat rooms, and who knows what. As a writer, I have the privilege of hearing many amazing stories of how God works in homes and lives. I remember the story of a woman who attended a Weekend to Remember® marriage conference and confidently listened as the speaker shared about the epidemic damage of pornography. She said that she sat smugly in her chair—knowing that pornographic images would never cross her husband’s eyes. After all, she totally trusted him. But she was wrong and went on to tell of her husband’s confession to an addiction to pornography that began when he was a young boy. And then there was the mother who totally trusted her teenage children to only look at appropriate sites on the Internet—after all, they were actively involved in their youth group. She knew that she could count on them to do the right thing. When she woke up to the 21st century, realizing that the Internet has threats for to her own family, she decided to put an Internet filter on the home computer. She was shocked when she ran the initial scan and it revealed that pornographic movies had been downloaded. Just the Facts, Please CyberSitter (which offers Internet filtering) states some alarming facts (www.cybersitter.com):
I don’t know about you, but these statistics makes me shiver. Here’s something else to think about: 80% of the estimated 80 million children who surf the web receive inappropriate spam e-mail every day (“Sticky Web,” April 2007 ClubHouse). Did you read that—“every day!” What’s a Parent to Do Today, there are countless resources for parents and grandparents who want to protect their legacy from unwanted Internet intruders. Here are three ideas that could protect your children and grandchildren from confessing one day, “I’ve been addicted to pornography since I was 10-years old. It began when I surfed the Internet. My parents never knew about it.” 1) Get an Internet Filter such as CyberSitter and Net Nanny. 2) Educate yourself. Go to www.arkansasag.gov and do a search for “Internet safety.” You’ll find many helpful resources such as a list of signs that your child may be at risk online and the ABCs to safety for young children. “FamilyLife Today” has many helpful radio broadcasts and resources including: “Kids Online,” and “Sex and Teenagers in America.” 3) Talk with your kids and set clear rules for using the Internet. And talk with the parents of your kids' friends. After all, the rules that they have for their home computers will affect your children. The Call Today, Christians are called to wake up to Satan’s ploys and look to God’s wisdom. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8b: "Your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The world, the flesh, and the devil are real enemies that want to destroy families—yours and mine. We must not stand by idly while our kids and grandkids are being ripped apart by unwanted Internet influences. The future is counting on us. Copyright © 2007 by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved. |
| www.marymaywrites.com |
Mary is the author of Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life and the
co-author of The Resurrection Eggs® Activity Book. She and her husband, Jim, live in
Little Rock, Arkansas, and have two married sons and five grandchildren. You can
contact her at mary@marymaywrites.com.
co-author of The Resurrection Eggs® Activity Book. She and her husband, Jim, live in
Little Rock, Arkansas, and have two married sons and five grandchildren. You can
contact her at mary@marymaywrites.com.
