INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY

What Harm Can It Do?

More Than Idle Chatter

Extreme caution must be exercised when using a computer chat room. A chat room is a medium that allows Internet users to communicate with one another. Of course, many people communicate with close friends via E-mail. Some who live far from family members are able to maintain regular contact in this way. But there is a difference between sending E-mail to someone you know and visiting with someone you don't. Would you consider dialing a telephone number at random and then befriending whoever answered the phone? Of course not! Then why develop a relationship on-line with a perfect stranger?

One problem with communicating with a stranger is that he may not be who he appears to be. For example, he may be a pedophile hoping to take advantage of an unsuspecting child or young person.

Parry Aftab, a lawyer who specializes in cases involving the Internet, explained how easy this can be. She observed: "Children normally enter chat rooms. Paedophiles take note of this, they follow conversations and track children who are lonely. One child may send messages like 'My parents are getting divorced . . . I hate my mother, she never buys me the computer game I want.' . . . The paedophile comes in and says 'My parents are getting divorced . . . I hate my mother . . . I can never get the game I want, until Uncle Timmy got it for me. . . . All you gotta do is go to the mall and meet Uncle Timmy.'" "Uncle Timmy" is really the pedophile on the prowl.

Consequently, parents should maintain a warm, affectionate relationship with their children. Keep the lines of communication open so that the young ones will not feel the need to look in the wrong places for emotional support.

Adults who are lonely or who are unhappily married should not turn to computer chat rooms for emotional support. There is danger in turning to strangers. Some adults have left their mates for someone they "met" on-line. *

*  For additional information on computer chat rooms, please see the article "Young People Ask . . . How Can I Avoid Dangers on the Internet?" in the January 22, 2000, issue of Awake!

Return to "Protecting Children From Pornography."