Is Posting Children's Pictures Online Dangerous?

It seems more and more parents are becomingand swinging in the wind. Likewise, a pedophile will not
concerned about the dangeous unknown we call thetake the most difficult, complex route to a victim.
World Wide Web. There has been recent concernThe only real justification to such a claim, is that
about posting normal, family related pictures. Ispedophiles are picture collecters. Sometimes they do
posting a family picture for others to see reallyperuse through photo sites for pictures of children.
putting your child at danger?However, the reality is this: The most common
Our organization works online with pedophiles everyinternet pictures of random kids used by pedophiles
day. Real ones. Our abuse prevention programs areare taken with a telescopic lens, and without you
based on the information we gathered by infiltratingeven knowing about it. Beach pictures, in the mall,
internet circles of them to learn how they act. Suchwalking down the street. The family pictures you
first hand research gives us a unique perspective totake and distribute to relatives without the help of
answer this question that nobody else can.the internet are much more likely to end up in the
First you must ask yourself.....how likely is this? Inhands of a pedophile, and still may end up online
reality, the fear that a pedophile is somehow going toanyway. While it is a discomforting thought for
see your child's picture, then become obsessed, goparents to think that pictures of their child may ever
through the nearly impossible feat to identify yourbe viewed by a pedophile,short of locking your child
child in the first place, then develop an elaborate planin the basement, it is a reality of the age. Picture
to somehow abduct your child, is about as likely assharing over the web is a convenience. It is
your child being hit with a small asteroid, twice in thesomething loved by family and friends. When we
same day.breed a society where inocent pictures are too
Pedophiles are opportunists. While they may havedangerous to be shared, then all we've done is added
preferences as to the way a child looks, the childrenanother atrocity.
they molest are based on the ones they have anSociety would be much better off, if we could stop
opportunity to be around. And yes, nearly everywasting time on these misguided fears, and instead
pedophile is around children every day. We catch lessapply the same effort to abuse prevention. Lost in all
than one percent of them, and they exist in athis is the fact that nearly every incident of sexual
population well into the millions, likely into the tens ofabuse is preventable, with simple steps that parents
millions in the United States alone. Our organizationcan take. The media has done a great disservice to
has recently come up with mathematical equationsthe public, by focusing on the problem of sexual
based on the most widely accepted numbers,abuse from the extreme fraction of a percent, and
indicating that around one in every 20-30 adults hasreinforcing traditional views of pedophiles which are
active pedophile tendencies.far from accurate. If parents don't understand the
This fear of a pedophile finding your child's pictureway they work and act, you can't protect your
online, and then stalking your child for evil purposes, ischildren. The ploys pedophiles use can be stopped, if
nothing more than an urban legend. It has neverparents simply take the time to address the things
happened, nor is it likely to in the future. It is simplythat make their childrren vulnerable to begin with.
not how they work. They do not need to goWith simple steps that nearly every parent can take,
through elaborate heists to get children. Most arejust about every molester can be kept at bay.
around kids every day. Even the ones who aren't andWe understand that it can be hard to find ways to
might consider an abduction, are going to search foraddress this topic with your kids, which is why we
the easiest victim. They will pick one out based onoffer safety programs that teach kids how to
their geographic location, not go through greatdefeat abuse simply by reading them a children's
lengths to try and find and stalk a child's picture theybook. Each book addresses a different concept in
saw on the internet.abuse prevention, and over the series your children
While the fear parents have about this may be real,will learn the skills they need to stop just about any
it is unfounded. A thief is not going to spend daysattack. Instead of creating new things to fear as
fumbling on a solid steel lock with a thousandparents, let's go on the attack to ensure that our
tumblers, when the door 3 feet away is already openkids are protected.