CeciIt’s really easy to be someone you’re not on the Internet. After all, who’s going to know if you
add a couple inches to your height, use a different picture, or add a couple zeros to your net
worth? You can be funnier, cuter, more confident -- the ideal version of you. But guess what? If
it’s easy for you to be someone you’re not, it’s easy for someone else as well. Anyone who’s
ever seen an episode of Bones or CSI knows there are people who use the Internet to meet
kids for criminal purposes, and they’re not always that easy to spot. They’re really good at what
they do: making friends with and trying to seduce teens into meeting them for sex.
Sometimes the predator pretends to be a teenager, trying to meet you on your level. He could
have a normal-looking profile with current music, videos, and a picture of a hot teen-next-door,
or he might come right out and say he’s 35, 47, or 68 years old. There are a lot of these guys.
Did you know that 1 in 7 kids received a sexual solicitation online?4
These guys prey on
teens who are unsure of themselves, eager for attention and spend a lot of time online. So all
of us, basically. So if you don’t want your life to resemble an episode of CSI, there are some
things you can do.
Remember, people aren’t always who they say they are.
That cute, blonde sophomore you met the other day
could be a 50-something-year-old man with a
weakness for a 14-year-old. It’s more than
possible. So watch what you say online.
Don’t post personal information or
revealing pictures in your profile.
Once an image or bit of information
is put online, you can’t control it.
Your pic could end up on a
pedophilic porn site, your face
could be photoshopped to a porn
star’s body and emailed all over,
your mom could find it. I used to
have my cell number posted on
my profile, but after the third
creepy call from a guy I didn’t
know, I took it down.
Report inappropriate behavior to
web administrators. That’s what the
Report Abuse! button is for! If you feel
really threatened, call the cops. In most states
it’s illegal for an adult to have a sexually explicit
conversation with a minor, and if an adult tries to send
you pictures or get pictures from you, that’s definitely illegal!
Beware of Predators!
STATUTORY RAPE IS RAPE!
A 20-year-old who meets a 16-year-old
for sex will go to jail in many states in the US
because it is a crime. Do not allow yourself to
be preyed upon by those who would commit such
crimes. Question what kind of person would risk
jail time to meet a teenager for sex. Question
what else would they do? Would they forcibly
rape you? Blackmail you? Kidnap you?
The red flag needs to go up. Only a bad,
potentially dangerous adult will meet
a teen for sex. It is a crime.
Report it!
4
http://www.internetsafety101.org/predatorstatistics.htmlia
situado en la parte superior izquierda.
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