Is the internet really dangerous for teenagers?

Question

How dangerous is the internet for teenagers? After reading some information on http://www.onlinechildsafety.net I am concerned for some of my family members that are teenagers. They are on the internet all the time.

Answer 1

No its not......just dont give your address or phone number to people on the internet

Answer 2

The internet is not dangerous. However, the websites on the internet, are not safe for those under the age of 15.

If you are concerned, you put your home computer in a "family area," such as a den or living room, where you and others can monitor what the teenagers are doing.

MySpace, as well as, this website, have a lot of emotionally, sexually immature people - hanging out here.

They pose as someone the age of the person posting, a message here, and try to get the phone number of the teenager, to make a date with him or her. These are adult men doing this.

Be very careful. Explain to the teenagers in your household the dangers of being online.

Make sure they don't leave your house without you knowing an address, name and telephone number. If possible, an adult should drive them to their destination and WAIT for them.

ALWAYS MONITOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING ONLINE.

As the other "poster" mentioned watch Dateline on TV - adults meeting kids at their home to have sex with them.

Talk to the teenagers in your family. Don't let them post their photographs online.

Answer 3

I think that teens that are dim-witted enough to be tricked into meeting someone somewhere that they met online shouldn't be using the internet because adults just assume that all teenagers can and will be tricked into something like this.

I'm not saying that all teens using the internet should be straight A students and have high IQ's. I'm just saying if a teen can use common sense while he or she is online then the world would be a little nicer knowing that teens aren't being kidnapped or killed.

I'm a teen and I use common sense that a lot more teens should use so they could stay safe.

Answer 4

The main danger for teens on the internet is obviously sex. The problem is that they are misinformed about it so what they see on the web is their only reference.
The best way to mitigate the risks is to inform them in full transparency about sex matters. It's part of the parent's responsibility towards children. There is no use trying to hide or conceal, as far as they are widely exposed to sexuality in their everyday life, be it on the web or on TV and magazines.
About monitoring their internet activity, it's not really a solution, they still can go to restricted websites at their friends or in internet cafe's.
Better to give them the full picture so they surf intelligent and understand exactly what the dangers are.

Answer 5

Internet is very dangerous and shouldn't be joked about.

What you need to do, is tell these teenagers' parents about the dangers and the sexual predators that target teenagers and tell them to talk to their kids. Explain to them the dangers and tell the parents that they need to watch out for what kids are doing online. Some of the parents might get offended, but tell them that you just thought they needed to know about the dangers of the internet.

Answer 6

the internet is dangerous for all people who are not so responsible at all times. Internet usage needs one to have good jugdment and a certain level of maturity. Teenagers may not have all these qualities yet and even some adults, which makes the internet dangerous.its not easy to monitor the sights people use but u can start by talking to them and explaining.

Answer 7

Yes, but not 100%, because there are plenty of measures to take in order to ensure a teen's safety. If there's any spot online, like in a website, blog or a message trail that shows personal info, make them aware of that and go through with them to remove such info.

It's good that you are keeping up on this issue. So many parents may not even be aware of their kid/s online activities. There are definitely those bad people online. But the internet can be made very safe, too. It needs to be, not only for their safety...but also because there are so many good resources on the internet to help teens and younger kids with their studies. I wish I had the internet when I was in my k-12 years.

Thanks for posting your question with that link, by the way. The more people are aware of the informative website, the better.

Answer 8

I think it depends on the teenager and how responsible they are. How gullible they are would be a factor too. They should be made aware of the dangers of the internet at school, cause how many teens listen to what their parents say. I think parents should monitor what their children are doing on the net and ban certain content.

Answer 9

First you need to ask yourself how responsible is the teen?
Second is the teen able to make good sound decisions?
Third, can you trust the teen to communicate to you what is going on and if a problem arises?
My son has been on the internet for years. He's now 17, goes to school online and has to do research on line, he has only had one bad experience. He used to play games online and the people were so bad that he quit without even being asked to. He made a good judgement call. He had people that were threatening and trying to get others names and addresses. He was responsible. Yes, he told me about it and we talked about the reasons people do what they do.
It can be very dangerous if your teen isn't ready!

Answer 10

The internet is a tool, and like all tools its pros and cons will depend on the user. The internet is not like a gun that we can hide from our children. It's all around. Even if your teenagers are out of the house there are other places they could access it. What should be done is educate the youth on how to use the internet that could benefit them.

Answer 11

I really dont think that the internet is dangerous for teenagers... its the teenagers themselves that get themselves involved in dangerouse situations... for example, they should know by now not to talk to strangers and if they do then they shouldnt be giving out personal information... most online predators take advantage of childrens vulnerability, so i think parents should be more cuatious to what their kids look at online.