Safer Internet Day

Today is Safer Internet Day. If you're a parent worried about adult material being inflicted on your kids, CLICK for the Top Ten blocking tools. But what are your teenagers getting up to on the Internet? This young lady who claims to be at least 18 years old is showing off her legs to attract a host of online male "friends". The social networking site on which she posted her photo invites users to publish their names, birthdays, e-mail addresses, schools, colleges or places of work, all in the cause of making "friends". This system is wide open to abuse: spam, cyber bullying, identity theft, grooming from the dirty-Mac brigade, crass adverts that offer the chance to "Get laid tonight". And what if she eventually marries a prude? Does she really want hubby finding this image of her sexy salad days when he browses the Web? The US COPPA Law and other attempts to bar kids from adult networking sites have proved unworkable. BBC News has interviewed 10-year-old Brit. girls who've twigged that their only way of gaining access to such sites is to tick the "I'm 18 or older" box. So be warned. Click the title link to learn how to become a savvy parent in the computer age.