Take A Minute and Protect Your Kids

There have been a lot of articles and news programs talking about protecting kids online. For years, it's been a big topic. But, when I ask friends if they've set restrictions on their computer search engines, a lot times the answer is, "Not yet."

I know two mothers who have sadly discovered that their young (I'm talking 7-11 year old) boys have innocently typed the words, "girl" or "hot girls" into the search engine and then been introduced to pornography. I am talking the worst kind too. Not just photographs, but video too. It just makes me sad to think of what is robbed in those short moments.

These children have this forever as their first experience and knowledge of sex. And those images are seared on their brains. Both children in this instance were addicted to the images instantly and instead of telling their parents, continued to seek time to look at the images in secret. It is highly addictive for boys.

Girls need to be protected too. Just think of what the search for the word "Barbie" could bring up. I once searched the word "Prego" for a recipe and suddenly images of you know what were popping up on my screen. This was years ago, before kids, but what if it wasn't? What if one of them had been standing next to me, watching the screen?

If you have children, or if children even enter your home, take a few minutes and set restrictions on your search engine. It can usually be found in preferences. For more information, see this website dedicated to protecting kids online- ProtectKids.com.

If you don't, it's like leaving a door open in your home to worst of what the world has to offer.

Okay, I will now step down off of my soapbox!