Portal to Hell
Portal to Hell
One of the hot items in the news today, most likely sparked by the Oprah show, is that of child predators on the internet. One young man sat on Oprah’s couch today and explained in fairly graphic detail his victimization over the internet. As this youngster gave his account, I could see flashes of innocence lost, pain, and a lingering numbness in his eyes.
The shocking part for most of us, I would presume, was in hearing that many of the people that victimized him were pediatricians, teachers, and others who are constantly exposed to and responsible for our young children in some fashion. The seduction, and subsequent molestation of this young boy was easily achieved through the technology that has helped so many of us thrive in so many ways in our daily lives.
E-mail, Pay Pal, instant messaging and websites are the tools many people use to build online businesses. I am an information-seeker by nature; anytime I want to satisfy my curiosity about anything from jellybeans to the war in Iraq, I can consult Google and find the answers to my most burning questions. I have only had one experience with a web cam. An old college friend of mine convinced me to access his while we chatted and caught up on old times, and sure as the sun shines, he showed me his moon and every other part of his anatomy I wasn’t interested in viewing. Needless to say, our reminiscing ended and I still try to put that most recent shock of my life behind me.
The possibilities of how the internet can be used are endless, but one thing I have said about it and now know for certain: the internet can be the portal to hell.
One never knows what darkness lurks in the hearts of men, but if you were ever curious, just cruise the internet for a little while and I’m sure one can find out more than they ever hoped to know. The prevalence of predators poses a difficult dilemma for parents and children alike. It is so easy to sit back and ask why these parents aren’t monitoring their children’s activities. I honestly don’t believe that any child should be allowed to spend hours in his or her room alone with the door closed because I sincerely doubt that anything productive would be going on inside. On the other hand, with the stiff competition to get one’s child prepared for college, it is important that the child have a firm grasp on technology and its workings. With online encyclopedias, newspapers, and new technologies sprouting up everyday, I can’t imagine a child not understanding how to use the internet at this point in time. The more technologically savvy the child becomes, however, the harder it is to monitor their activities short of looking over his shoulder every second that he is logged in.
The portal to hell is there, beckoning each and every one of us on a daily basis. How do we go about protecting our young children and our impressionable teenagers who don’t have the maturity and emotional resources to resist its call? I think that’s a tough one to answer for many, unless those who allow the internet in their homes understand the exact nature of the beast and are capable of effectively communicating its dangers to their offspring.
I hope that everyone who could tuned in to Oprah’s show and considered how the information presented applies to their own situation. It’s so easy to say, ‘not my child, not in my household’, but that’s usually exactly when it happens. I applaud Ms. Winfrey for finding ways to continually expose child predators on so many levels. Children have the right to be children, to experience innocence, and learn about and learn from technology without being seduced and assaulted. We have to become better gatekeepers and protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
One of the hot items in the news today, most likely sparked by the Oprah show, is that of child predators on the internet. One young man sat on Oprah’s couch today and explained in fairly graphic detail his victimization over the internet. As this youngster gave his account, I could see flashes of innocence lost, pain, and a lingering numbness in his eyes.
The shocking part for most of us, I would presume, was in hearing that many of the people that victimized him were pediatricians, teachers, and others who are constantly exposed to and responsible for our young children in some fashion. The seduction, and subsequent molestation of this young boy was easily achieved through the technology that has helped so many of us thrive in so many ways in our daily lives.
E-mail, Pay Pal, instant messaging and websites are the tools many people use to build online businesses. I am an information-seeker by nature; anytime I want to satisfy my curiosity about anything from jellybeans to the war in Iraq, I can consult Google and find the answers to my most burning questions. I have only had one experience with a web cam. An old college friend of mine convinced me to access his while we chatted and caught up on old times, and sure as the sun shines, he showed me his moon and every other part of his anatomy I wasn’t interested in viewing. Needless to say, our reminiscing ended and I still try to put that most recent shock of my life behind me.
The possibilities of how the internet can be used are endless, but one thing I have said about it and now know for certain: the internet can be the portal to hell.
One never knows what darkness lurks in the hearts of men, but if you were ever curious, just cruise the internet for a little while and I’m sure one can find out more than they ever hoped to know. The prevalence of predators poses a difficult dilemma for parents and children alike. It is so easy to sit back and ask why these parents aren’t monitoring their children’s activities. I honestly don’t believe that any child should be allowed to spend hours in his or her room alone with the door closed because I sincerely doubt that anything productive would be going on inside. On the other hand, with the stiff competition to get one’s child prepared for college, it is important that the child have a firm grasp on technology and its workings. With online encyclopedias, newspapers, and new technologies sprouting up everyday, I can’t imagine a child not understanding how to use the internet at this point in time. The more technologically savvy the child becomes, however, the harder it is to monitor their activities short of looking over his shoulder every second that he is logged in.
The portal to hell is there, beckoning each and every one of us on a daily basis. How do we go about protecting our young children and our impressionable teenagers who don’t have the maturity and emotional resources to resist its call? I think that’s a tough one to answer for many, unless those who allow the internet in their homes understand the exact nature of the beast and are capable of effectively communicating its dangers to their offspring.
I hope that everyone who could tuned in to Oprah’s show and considered how the information presented applies to their own situation. It’s so easy to say, ‘not my child, not in my household’, but that’s usually exactly when it happens. I applaud Ms. Winfrey for finding ways to continually expose child predators on so many levels. Children have the right to be children, to experience innocence, and learn about and learn from technology without being seduced and assaulted. We have to become better gatekeepers and protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com
www.NorthBayMediaReview.com
posted by Northbaywriter | 4:52 PM
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