Isn’t it amazing how something that seems so innocent can end up being disastrous? In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with the thrill and excitement of meeting someone in another state or another country. In fact what a great way to gain a different cultural perspective and not even have to leave your hometown!

Yes, in a perfect world, this would be amazing. Unfortunately, a “perfect world” is not one in which we live. As a result, there are consequences when we let our guards down at the wrong times; using the internet is one of those times when putting one’s guard down can lead to a catastrophic event.

You love your child dearly. You constantly take measures to protect her. You teach her to hold hands and look both ways before crossing the street. You teach her to not answer the door by herself. You teach her to never tell a stranger when mom and dad are not home. The list is goes on an on and on, as you, as a parent, know so well.

But what about the cyber dangers your children face online? Have you taken measures to educate your child in this regard? It may be hard to believe that someone can perpetrate a crime against you and your loved ones so easily.

Sex offenders lurk just beyond the cyber cloud. Pedophiles hide in the virtual bushes right outside your home. Your child is just within their reach, whether you have predators in your neighborhood, or even if the predators live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

The click of a mouse and a few careless moves by your child can put him in a sticky situation.

Years ago, we all thought MySpace.com was just a fad, but it is still up and running, stronger than ever. In fact, MySpace is one of the most trafficed sites on the web today.

If you have ever browsed people’s pages, you were probably surprised at just how many online “friends” they have. But how many of them do they actually know? More importantly, how many of them could possibly have phony profiles?

It is easy to set up a MySpace page; you can upload any picture you like, add any information you want to.

How can you ensure that it is valid? The dangers of MySpace and chat room dangers create a threat we never before realized would pose an issue.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that seventy-five percent of kids of all age groups have admitted to furnishing personal information while online. That is scary!

What’s even scarier is that if you do suspect any type of cyber threat against your child, you will have a very difficult time tracking the sex potential offender. You must go through a chain of command; there are certain steps authorities take, and that can take a substantial amount of time.

Therefore, you must be a proactive parent: edify your child to be cautious while online, and to never take his guard down.