THE dangers of the internet have been highlighted following Sex Crimes Squad detectives charging a man over the alleged grooming of a young child for sex via the internet.
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A detective from the State Crime Command’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit posed as a 14-year-old boy and communicated with the 25-year-old Forster man over an internet chat site between September 2008 and March this year.
On Monday the man was charged with use carriage service to groom persons under 16 years.
It will be alleged the man was sexually explicit during several online communications with police who posed as a 14-year-old boy.
The man is alleged to have made attempts to arrange a meeting with the assumed 14-year-old for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
Strike Force CEIU, comprising detectives from the Child Exploitation Internet Unit, was established to investigate alleged online
sexual exploitation of children.
Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec said, “The internet can be a great tool for children, however it does come with risks and social networking sites can be potentially dangerous for children if they are left unsupervised.
“Detectives conduct regular online operations in an effort to detect and target online sexual predators, however, the role of parents is crucial in assisting in the prevention of child internet exploitation.
“We strongly encourage all parents to take the time to sit down with their children and to discuss the dangers of internet use to arm children with the knowledge and skills of how to stay safe,” Det/Supt Kerlatec said.
Tips for parents:
* Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
* Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations.
* Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites.
* Keep the computer in a room the whole family can access; not in your child’s bedroom.
* Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your Internet Service Provider. The Netalert website
provides information on commercially-available products at www.netalert.net.au.
* Ensure you are able to access your child’s email and randomly check the contents.
* Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls, or consider using a ‘caller ID’ device to
identify incoming calls.
