Category: Child Abuse Prevention month
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Body-Safety Rules Are NOT Enough
April is Child Abuse Prevention month and I’ve been reflecting on what it will take to change the cultural norm of silence that allows child sexual abuse to thrive in our communities. I’d like your help. Parenting Safe Children workshop participants tell me how empowered and secure they feel after teaching their kids body-safety rules.…
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I Know Your Child is Adorable, but…
Posting photos of your children is a personal decision, but to make an informed choice, here is some information about what can happen to the photos you post on social media. I will now be blunt: Online child sexual abusers download, trade, Photoshop, and sell images of children. People who engage in child sexual…
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Sexting – How to Keep Your Kids Safe
Over the last year, I have received numerous questions about sexting – whether sexting is harmful, normal, legal, or a gateway to sexual activity. Here’s a blog post about sexting so you can keep your kids (and yourself) safe. What is Sexting? Sexting is the sending and receiving of nude, semi-nude, or even sexually explicit…
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To Monitor Online Access – or Not
In the Parenting Safe Children Workshop, I talk about the importance of teaching your children body-safety rules and the equal importance of inviting caregivers onto your prevention team. Here are some examples of applying screening principles around online safety: Screen the sites your children spend time on – and set limits. Screen friend lists periodically,…
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Is Porn Bad for Kids?
Take the Parenting Safe Children Online Safety Quiz Guest Post by Annie Gardiner I remember the first time I found a Playboy magazine. Wide-eyed, I turned the pages feeling both nervous and excited. Teens look at porn out of curiosity, for stimulation, or to impress friends. It’s entirely normal for children to be interested in…
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Children, Teens and Online Sexual Solicitations
Parents tell us they are both supportive and wary of their children’s online involvement. Children and teens go online to do homework, grab an Uber, socialize, play games, and find out information about any topic – from sports to babysitting jobs to dating and sex. Online Sexual Solicitations Online abuse, however, is more common than…