Be E-Cautious

I do not think that such fears are exaggerated. I believe the scariest part of the internet is not knowing who is on the other end communicating with you. The lack of control that parents have over their children when the girls are online both upsets them and scares them. I feel that they talk about the dangers so often because they feel that if they engrain the fear of the dangers into their children, the girls will be more cautious when giving out information to the public. It is the parents’ way of “holding their child’s and when they cross the street.” They cannot be as controlling of the situation online so this is their way of having control. Edwards talks about this idea in “Victims, Villains, and Vixens.” He says that the media tells people how to think and act regarding a certain situation by repeating the idea and getting mass coverage on the topic. This is what the parents are doing as well by repeating the dangers to try to shape their child’s view of the internet.
Also, as I said, the biggest danger of the internet is not knowing who you are talking to. I have heard about a new type of predator that uses a girl’s phone number to import her phone book and then texts friends of the girl, using her phone number, and has the friends meet “her” in remote locations. When they go to meet their “friend” the predator attacks. Therefore, even though it may not be as common and, as Cassell and Cramer point out, “…teens are also at risk in the mall, walking home from school, and spending a vacation with distant relatives, and, as we will discuss further below, family members and friends, rather than strangers, are still the most frequent perpetrators of child sexual abuse,” there is still a need to be cautious. Just as parents warn their children not to talk to strangers and to be aware of their surroundings when they go to the mall, it is important for them to warn of the dangers of the internet as well.