Telling It Like It Is» dr phil

The Dangers of Webcams

Lin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:00:32 +0000

The use of webcams in modern society, whether used at home or work, has had positive and negative effects on those who have webcams attached to or built into their computers. Children and families may use webcams to communicate with relatives and friends who live or work far away, but law enforcement is more concerned about the dangers of webcams and the harmful effects for children and teenagers who spend time on the internet.

Webcams can be purchased for as little as $20.00, and most tweens and teens who have a computer also want a webcam in order to project live images of themselves on teen chat sites, social networking sites like MySpace, Xanga and Stickam, as well as uploaded videos of themselves on YouTube. According to law enforcement, webcams are the single most dangerous peripheral device to be attached to a computer that is used by children or teens. Why are webcams so dangerous?

If you are like most parents, you would never allow a male to be in your teenage daughter’s bedroom without supervision, but it’s happening on a daily basis while young children and teens are on the internet and using webcams, right under the noses of unsuspecting parents. What’s even worse is that many teens have computers connected to the internet in their bedrooms, and many parents still don’t understand how harmful and dangerous this is. Who is watching your child on webcam?

Elementary schools are teaching kids how to use computers and navigate the internet, and young kids are often more knowledgeable about technology and computers than their parents, and these kids are often able to find ways to circumvent and override parental controls and passwords that have been set to protect children while online.

Webcams pose a serious risk to children because it allows an open window into the activities and lives (and bedrooms) of children and teens, and sexual predators are using this technology to their own perverted advantage to target and sexually abuse innocent children. There is also a very dangerous webcam-specific virus or worm called W32/Rbot-GR, where a child molester can recognize that a child or teen has a webcam attached to the computer and is able to remotely activate the young person’s webcam without their knowledge or approval.

The dangers of webcams cannot be overemphasized. Law enforcement officials, television talk shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil, news stations and child safety advocates have worked very hard to bring greater awareness to the dangers and harmful effects of webcams, including information about the profile of a pedophile or sexual predator searching for children to molest and abuse.

Not only is it important for parents to have open dialogue with their kids and talk to their teens and children about these and other topics, but it’s extremely important for parents to know about and monitor what kids are doing online in order to supervise and protect their children from becoming victimized.

Unfortunately, even parents who know How to Use Parental Controls to protect and safeguard their child’s online activities and block access to inappropriate websites, may discover their kids are way ahead of the parents and are able to get around parental controls quite easily. Smart kids that are older and are more computer savvy, or have friends (online or offline) who are all too willing to educate them on how to get around administrator passwords and settings, laugh about the realization that they know more about computers than their parents.

If you think your own children are not at risk of becoming a victim of sexual abuse with or without a webcam, meet Justin Berry. Justin Berry was a young 13 year-old boy who, through his webcam, became part of the sordid online world of pornography, having been targeted by online predators and sexually abused over a period of years.

After being rescued by NY Times Reporter Kurt Eichenwald, Justin has become a child safety advocate, speaking out about the prevalence of sexual abuse of children online through his website InternetSafety.tv and warns parents not to allow their children and teens to have webcams.

Protecting children and teens on the internet must be a high priority for parents, and some tweens and teens can become secretive and rebellious to the point where parents have to take what may seem like drastic measures in order to keep their kids safe, including closely monitoring what their kids are doing online with computer monitoring programs. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your child or teen will tell you if they’ve been approached by or propositioned online because most children don’t tell about such things out of fear of losing their internet and computer privileges.

While I believe much can be accomplished by talking with and educating children about the dangers of webcams and internet safety, I also understand that parents have to do whatever is deemed necessary to keep kids safe online.

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My Media Week Meme

Lin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:01 +0000

I’ve been tagged again, this time by Lightening with a Media Week Meme, asking what my media consumption has been like this past week.

*Books- The last book I read was a month ago called Don’t Be That Girl, and I have yet to go find another book to lull away boredom hours. I have my wonderful collection of Harry Potter books that I could always read again, but that might make me start pining for a new addition to the now-defunct series.

*TV- With the ongoing Writer’s Strike, I can’t say I have watched much TV at all lately. My husband really enjoys watching The Apprentice, so occasionally I’ll walk by and take a glimpse of yucky Gene Simmons in action. I’ve had my fill of Omarosa watching a previous season of The Apprentice, so learning she was going to be on the show again I instantly lost interest.

I love Dr. Phil, and I do watch his evening shows as often as possible. I’m a big fan of shows like CSI, Law and Order, all those who-dunnit type shows, but the writer’s strike has really affected my TV viewing habits since I have no interest in watching a steady flow of rerun after rerun. Yawn.

*Music- I am definitely a music lover with a wide variety of music interests. I grew up listening to everyone and anyone associated with MoTown; Glady’s Knight and The Pips, Marvin Gaye, and so many others it would take hours to include all the names.

I’m a Classic Rock lover as well, and I instantly crank up the stereo at home or radio in my truck as soon as Black Sabbath or Aerosmith start doing their thing. Oh my gosh, I cannot get enough of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s music and guitar solo’s, and I play my CD’s of Stevie’s music quite often while driving.

Who am I gonna tag this time? Hmm

Frank at Optempo

Maurice at CaymanHost

Lynnae at BeingFrugal

Greg and Sheena at MommyDaddyBlog

Todd at Success With Todd

Heidi at VirusHead

RT at Untwisted Vortex

Jodi at My Life as Mama Jodi

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Don’t Be That Girl

Lin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:30:44 +0000

If you haven’t yet heard about the book “Don’t Be That Girl”, authored by Travis L. Stark, M.D., you’re in for a real treat. You may remember the handsome and charismatic Travis, from his appearance on the hit reality show The Bachelor: Paris, where he dated 25 beautiful and intelligent women in hopes of finding true love. Dr. Stark has since written the book “Don’t Be That Girl”, and recently appeared on the Dr. Phil Show discussing the self-defeating behaviors many women use that prevents them from fulfilling their personal dreams and goals, or finding and marrying Mr. Right.

On a fluke, I decided to buy the book and see for myself if Dr. Stark knew anything at all about women, and what he felt constituted a woman to be called that girl, and I must admit the good doctor has published a very good read. Before buying the book, I read a great number of customer reviews, and wasn’t surprised to find there are mixed opinions, with most comments being very positive. I laughed out loud reading some of the women’s reviews online, who took great exception to the possibility that an E.R doctor might have the slightest clue about what makes women do the things many women do that sends off red flags in a man’s mind while dating, causing her to be labeled a that girl. I thought about replying to those women, to tell them to Lighten Up, but I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Are you a that girl?

Don’t Be That Girl is a book that most women will likely find they can relate to on many levels, whether your single and looking, or already married. You probably know at least one that girl in your life right now, and if you haven’t yet read the book, I highly recommend you do. I know two that girls personally, and they will be receiving their copies of the book within the next day or two, and I’ll be very interested to hear what they thought of the book after reading it. One of the things that I liked most about Dr. Stark’s book is the self-deprecating humor he uses in describing some of his previous relationship foibles, and how he came up with the humorous phrase, “try to limit your baggage to a carry-on”, when talking about the nutty things some women do when trying to find love.

Editorial Review Excerpt-

“Don’t Be That Girl cuts to the heart of what makes a woman cross into that girl territory and the red flags that tip guys off to the possibility that, yikes, they may be dating that girl. So who is that girl, exactly? She defies a simple definition. She may be the chameleon who turns into a completely different person the second a guy walks into the room. She could be the girl with the ironclad agenda (Agenda Girl) that she’s held to dearly since her first encounter with Modern Bride (and she’ll do anything to make sure her plan materializes). Or she’s the consummate “yes” girl who is always going along with his every wish. If she’s not saying yes, she might very well be a “drama queen” who is always saying no because she can’t seem to live without conflict. Then again, she might not be dramatic at all, just miserable inside, wearing her anger and bitterness as a badge of honor. In short, she’s the girl who’s trying fruitlessly to be someone she’s not—who’s falling victim to the common pitfalls and patterns that lead to that girl behavior—rather than believing in herself, following her passions, and maintaining healthy priorities.”

Fortunately, Dr. Stark’s book is not about slamming women’s odd behaviors, but offers helpful solutions for women to make needed changes in their that girl attitudes and behaviors that will allow them to better their chances of seeing their dreams become realizations. Men are not stupid, and who better than a man to explain to women the very things men find most irritating while dating women, that often causes a man to run in the other direction as soon as possible, never to be seen or heard from again.

One friend of mine in particular, that I’ve known for most of my life, has evolved into a that girl over a period of many years. She just hasn’t realized it yet, and can’t seem to understand why she’s not having much luck in the dating world. I’ve written about my dear friend a couple of times, as she has had some real hard knocks to contend with over the years, which has nearly rendered her a broken soul. Hopefully she will soon find herself again, who she really is inside, and let go of the pain and heartache that has gradually created a that girl within.

Regardless of age, race or marital status, Don’t Be That Girl is an excellent book, written by an educated doctor, who really knows how to “tell it like it is” regarding women’s ill-fated tendencies that work against their goals and dreams. I couldn’t possibly recommend this book for all women any more than this.

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