| In the past, I've discussed some of the more | | | | actually look like support groups. |
| well-known online threats to a child's safety and | | | | The threat I'm referring to is known as "thinspiration." |
| innocence. These include: pedophiles, pornography, | | | | Thinspiration as defined by Wikepida is "a term that |
| gambling, hate groups and cyber bullying. | | | | refers to a role model used by people (typically |
| In this article, I'll reveal some of the lesser known | | | | individuals with eating disorders) to inspire them to lose |
| threats available online. Very few parents are aware | | | | weight." |
| of these threats. | | | | On Thinspiration forums and within Thinspiration |
| Threat #1: Cyber-Terrorism: | | | | communities, members post pictures of famous thin |
| Did you know that some terrorist groups are recruiting | | | | women that they'd like to emulate. |
| new members through MySpace? Some MySpace | | | | Popular choices include: Nicole Ritchie, Kate Moss, |
| blogs refer to the 19 terrorists who attack the World | | | | Calista Flockhart and many other bony celebrities, |
| Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001 as the "Magnificent 19." | | | | models and actresses. |
| And ABC News reports that the terrorist group Al | | | | Thinspiration is part of a larger problem, namely a |
| Qaida has switched over from using secret internet | | | | Pro-Anorexia websites. While proponents of these |
| forums and bulletin boards and is now conducting their | | | | websites say that they are set up for support, many |
| activities on MySpace. | | | | doctors believe that these websites actually |
| Threat #2: Online Gaming | | | | encourage women to continue to strive for unrealistic |
| Not only are online gaming sessions becoming more | | | | body weight goals. |
| and more addictive, but there's a couple of hidden | | | | Threat #4: Lawsuits |
| threats inside this already veiled threat. | | | | Anna Draker is a vice principle at a Texas high school. |
| First of all, many of these games are getting | | | | She had to discipline two boys and they decided to |
| increasingly violent, with an emphasis on killing and war. | | | | get revenge. How? By creating a fake MySpace page |
| For some parents, that's a problem. For others, it's not | | | | with her picture. The boys even went so far as to |
| a viewed as a problem. | | | | claim she was a lesbian. |
| But one thing that everyone will view as a problem is | | | | When Anna Draker discovered the website, she |
| the ability for pedophiles to target kids through these | | | | decided to sue. Not the boys, but the parents of the |
| games. | | | | boys. Parents need to be aware that legally, you can |
| You see, many online games have a chat function | | | | be held responsible for what your child is doing online. |
| where players can chat with other players all over the | | | | Threat #5: The Unknown |
| world. But some pedophiles are starting to use these | | | | Overall, the biggest threat to your child is the unknown. |
| games to chat with kids while they are distracted with | | | | I could write 50 articles naming each and every online |
| the game play. | | | | danger zone but there'd would still be new threats |
| Threat #3: "Thinspiration" | | | | popping up each and every week. |
| There are some websites online that actually promote | | | | That's why I urge parents to adopt a strategy of 100% |
| anorexia and bulimia. | | | | awareness. |
| However, on the surface, these websites and forums | | | | |