Understanding Children's Internet Behavior

Shockingly, a recent study conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Cox Communications shows that 14 percent of teens have met face-to-face with people they have met on the Internet. However, the study also found that parents can curb their child's risky Internet behavior. If parents or guardians show interest and give guidance about online dangers, children are less likely to conduct such risky behavior. Parents should be aware of some of the statistics reported by this study, including:

71 percent of the teens surveyed reported receiving messages online from someone they did not know.
45 percent of the teens have been asked for personal information by someone they did not know.
30 percent of teens surveyed have considered meeting someone they have only communicated with online.

If you want to find out the most successful ways to guide your child to make smart decisions online, you can read the Cox press release about the study. Additionally, Take Charge! Web site, created by Cox Communications, can also help parents take charge of their children's online activities and television habits. The site has good information for parents, teens and kids.

Some good pages for parents include: