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Today’s children are “technology natives.” The only world this generation knows is one with computers, the Internet, cell phones, and e-mail. Military children are benefiting from this new world of technology as they stay in closer contact with deployed parents and friends around the world. But dangers lurk on the Internet, and it is up to parents to keep kids safe.

“I remember when my dad was deployed to Korea. We communicated using a two-way radio, and we had to say ‘over’ every time we stopped talking,” says Michelle Joyner. Years later when her husband was deployed to Japan, they were able to stay in touch through video messaging.

“Today’s technology, and the Internet in particular, offer great tools for military families who have a parent deployed,” says Joyner, who in addition to being a military spouse is the director of communications for the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI). A study completed by the MFRI in January 2005 showed that 140,000 children ages 18 and under had a parent deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan (the study did not include deployments to other countries). “The Internet is helping so many military children stay in closer touch with deployed parents,” says Joyner. “And the military encourages Internet use by setting up online services in theater and on installations.”

A recently completed study about the adjustments of adolescents in military families when a parent is deployed showed that the Internet has been a positive influence for children. “Kids can e-mail their parents almost daily and attach pictures of a soccer game or the prom so that they feel connected,” says Dr. Angela Huebner, an associate professor in the department of human development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Northern Virginia Center, who coauthored the study for DoD and the MFRI.

The Internet also can be a useful tool for military children who often move every two or three years. Eileen Huber, a Navy spouse and mother of four, says the family’s most recent relocation from Washington, D.C., to California was eased for her teenagers with the ability to stay in close touch with friends via e-mail and instant messaging.

The information superhighway indeed opens up many doors for today’s generation of technology natives. It would be hard to find a child who hasn’t been online either at home or at school to play games, communicate with friends and family, or do research for a homework assignment. But as with all good things, there can often be risks.

A study about online victimization conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) found that one in five children received a sexual solicitation in 2000, and one in four children had unwanted exposure to inappropriate material in the same year.

“Putting children on the Internet and not watching them is like sending them out to play and not knowing where they are going. We teach our kids not to talk to strangers, and that couldn’t apply more than on the Internet,” says Christine Loftus, a senior editor for the NetSmartz Workshop, an Internet safety program sponsored by the NCMEC and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Threats to children on the Internet range from bullying to exposure to inappropriate information or graphics to — every parent’s nightmare — advances from sexual predators. In worst-case scenarios, which fortunately are very rare, children who have unwittingly befriended online predators have been abducted. Schools, organizations such as the NCMEC, and law enforcement agencies are making it a priority to educate America’s children about the possible dangers of Internet use. Programs such as NetSmartz provide safety awareness programs in school and offer age-appropriate educational materials and interactive activities that teach children how to stay safe online. (For a list of these programs, see “Online Resources.”)

The most important weapon in the fight to keep children safe online, though, is their parents. “There are so many things that parents can do. Keep computers in common areas in your homes. Talk to your kids about what can happen if they give out personal information. Explain why they cannot meet in person with someone they have met online. Install parental controls and filters. Regularly review buddy lists with your child. Post a list of Internet safety rules near your computer,” says Loftus. (For an example of Internet safety tips, see “Safety Tips for Parents” and “Safety Tips for Kids.”)

And yet nothing is foolproof, she cautions. “The most important tool you have is continuous communication,” says Loftus. “You want your child to feel comfortable coming to you for help if they come across inappropriate material or something that frightens them.”
“It all comes down to conversation,” says Huber. “ You have to know what is going on in their lives — period. Don’t lose that link to any facet of their lives. Then conversations about what they are doing on the computer will come easily.”