Online sexual predators specifically target children with self-esteem issues and are looking for relationships they are unable to find offline, according to a cyber safety expert.
Rob Nickel, author of "Staying Safe In a Wired World" told CTV's Canada AM that predators lurk in chat rooms and target children who express online their problems at school or with their parents.
"Anybody who seems alone is a great target because that's a hot button, that's a red flag for someone saying 'here's a friendship that I could probably build fairly easily.' So that's something you want to watch out for, and you want to make your kids know that everyone they meet online isn't who they say they are," Nickel said.
Getting involved with your children's online activities, according to Nickel, is the best way to protect your children from online sexual predators.
"The number one tip is that the parents have to get involved -- unfortunately most parents say 'I don't understand the Internet so I'll just them go on it and let them do what they want," said Nickel .
The best way for parents to overcome their lack of knowledge about the Internet, according to Nickel, is to have the computer in an open area and to ask their children about what programs they are using.
"You'd be amazed at what how much your children will show you," Nickel said. "Kids like to show off, so sit down and ask what they're doing and that goes hand in hand with having that computer out in the open. I think you'll find a lot of victims on the Internet, I would say, probably nine out of 10, was because the computer was in the bedroom where the parents have no idea of what's going on."
