Why is it that many young girls still try to impress random guys online?

[Emily]

I'm talking about any site where girls meet boys like facebook or myspace or twitter or chatrooms.
Well maybe they are from a messed up family or situation and very lonely and craving for attention or maybe they are naturally very flirty.

Either way, I think it's very risky for young girls trying to get attention from random online guys they haven't even met face to face in real life before.
You have heard a bunch of horror stories where girls got stalked.. kidnapped... sexually assaulted by guys they initially met online the past 10~ 15 years.
Predators are all over the net but sadly it seems there are still some young girls who fall for their traps.
That "justin_1996" on the net might be a 40 something pedophile in real life.

Plus sexting is common among teens today. Some girls don't mind taking photos of their naked bodies and send it to their BF's

I'm writing a paper on this issue and I need your advice and opinion.
1. What do you think is the most important thing to educate young girls to be aware of the danger of the internet and respect themselves?
2. If you have a daughter, is there anything you set it as a rule to keep her away from the danger of talking to strangers online?
3.What's the best way to teach young girls that there's always a consequence for every action they take?

Your opinion will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

[Tim]

In this messed up era (sorry to say) not only media but everything around us makes it seem like its illegal in a way to be alone, so cuz of this most girls look to these social networking sites to find someone and from watching tv its easy to learn and see what you could do to pick up guys nowadays, its pretty messed up but what can you do right

[Cassy]

1. What do you think is the most important thing to educate young girls to be aware of the danger of the internet and respect themselves?

i think the most important thing to educate young girls and boys is to let them know that just because someone says something on the internet does not mean it is true. I really think that kids need to know NOT to meet people in real life that they meet through the internet because it is very dangerous.

2. If you have a daughter, is there anything you set it as a rule to keep her away from the danger of talking to strangers online?

I would first and for most make her do some research and for a report that she would have to write to me about the dangers of meeting people online. I would also have a block on the computer so that my children could not get onto some websites that are not right for them. I realize that i can not protect my kids 100% all the time but i know that i would protect them from anything i can. I think that it is important for children to only be online for a limited amount of time and they should be in a place where a prent can view what they are doing at all times.

3.What's the best way to teach young girls that there's always a consequence for every action they take?

Teach both girls and boys when they are young that their is a consequence for their actions. for example:
My oldest daughter had to wear glasses for a short period of time due to an eye condition. She did not like wearing the glasses so she broke the first pair within 6 months of having them. I told her that i would buy new ones but if it were to happen again she was going to have to pay for them. two months latter her glasses were broke and i made her pay the $20 for the new pair of glasses. Was she happy about it? NO! she was saving her money for a MP3 player. But it did teach her about responsibility and consequences. She had the pair she bought for a year and a half before she was told she did not have to wear them any more.
I have always told my kids "If you make bad choices you will receive bad consequences. However if you make good choices you will receive good consequences".

[Kristin]

you should show them some cases of girls that have gotten murdered from this situation
no chat rooms

[Gladius]

I think a really important thing to remember is that in some ways the internet really is very safe, but sometimes that safety can make you over confident.

No one can physically hurt you over the internet, so in a sense you are completely invulnerable. But that only lasts while are on the internet. As soon as you meet someone in person, or give them enough information to find you in real life, that invulnerability is gone.

Facebook deserves a special mention. Because people interact with their real-life friends and family there, they might think of it as safer than most parts of the internet, but it's actually more dangerous for just that reason. Facebook isn't as separate from the offline world as most sites are. Someone can very easily find out where you live, spread nasty rumors to your real friends and family etc.

So: #1, see above. #2, no. As I explained, talking to strangers isn't the dangerous part. It's the people who aren't quite strangers that you need to be super careful with. #3, explain that on non-anonymous parts of the internet, you have to be just as careful as in real life, because the consequences are the same.