Many parents may be tempted to cover their children in bubble wrap, insulating them from life's harsh realities.
According to local experts, however, that approach doesn't work. Instead, parents need to take practical and proactive steps to keep children safe.
"It is a scary world," said Jinger Robins, executive director of SafePath Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization in Cobb County dedicated to improving the lives of children who have been abused.
"A parent is ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of a child. I believe that personally and professionally," Robins said.
Her perspective is echoed online by the Child Development Institute: "A parent is the best person to teach a child about personal safety."
"I'm not talking about fear-based living. I'm talking about knowledge-based living," Robins said. A parent should be knowledgeable about childhood safety threats in order to protect a child.
Threats to children generally fall into two major categories: crimes of a violent nature and those of a sexual nature, said Brent Brown, chairman and CEO of Chesley Brown International Inc., a local security management company.
Both threats inflict emotional trauma, he said, that could potentially harm a child well into adulthood, if not addressed properly.
Wired world
Much of the danger to children in today's world comes as a result of our wired world.
"Electronic access opens a portal to a wicked world, and we are handing that access over to our children,' Brown said.
Electronic access includes the use of the Internet, cellphones, video games, social networking, portable music devices and more.
"Our children are smarter than we are in terms of technology. We don't know what we don't know," he admitted.
Approximately 93 percent of kids ages 12 to 17 are online, with a digital proficiency that is bewildering to many parents.
When it comes to technology, children are described as "digital natives," meaning they are native speakers of the language of technology, and parents are often "digital immigrants," trying to learn the language.
If a child has access to an electronic device, Brown said, explain to the child that the access is a privilege and not a right.
Parents should scan their children's electronic devices regularly and, "If you don't know what you're looking for, find someone who does," Brown emphasized.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides online resources to help children learn how to be safer both on- and offline. Resources such as videos, games and activity cards are available for parents, children and teens.
The Crimes Against Children Research Center also provides Internet safety tips, particularly for teens.
Additionally, the CDI offers numerous online tips on teaching basic safety tips to younger children as well as teens.
In teaching your children about safety, keep in mind that what you are teaching them and how you are teaching them changes as the child matures. Keep your teaching appropriate for the age of the child, Robins said.
"Every step of the way, it changes," she said.
Exploitation by known individuals
Even with the prevalence of danger associated with our electronic world, child-related crimes often are perpetrated by parents, relatives, caretakers, and others who are charged with their care and guidance.
Sixty percent of children who are sexually abused are victimized by someone in their social circle.
"Don't assume your child will be safe," Robins said. "Assumption is one of the worst things a parent can do."
To help prevent such crimes against your children, "listen to your instincts," Brown counseled.
"Pay attention to your children," Brown, the father of two school-age children, said. "Where are they? What are they doing?"
Robins agreed, adding: "Stay involved and in touch with you children. Be ready to hear anything from them, and don't have that look of shock on your face. If you don't listen to them, they will find someone who will."
Be attentive, even in settings where you think your children should be safe, Brown said.
"If you don't feel your children are in a safe environment – at church, school, wherever – then speak up. Don't make any assumptions."
The age-old "buddy system," also still works, said Brown, who encourages his two children to stay close to each other when away from home.
Such an approach factors in an added measure of safety, while slowly allowing children more freedom as they mature.
"You can lock them down so much, you're not helping them," he explained.
If you discover your child may have been victimized, call on professionals, such as those associated with SafePath, to sort through the situation.
SafePath is one of 47 child advocacy centers throughout Georgia's 159 counties. The organization builds a collaborative team among law enforcement, therapists, healthcare professionals, prosecutors and others to meet a child's needs following a traumatic experience.
Busy living is often the enemy of keeping children safe, Robins said.
"Children are our most precious possession. They are our world in the future. If there's anything you can do to protect them, then do it! We all need to make children our priority," she said.
