An astounding ratio of nearly one in every five children who go on-line regularly has been approached by strangers for sex at least once in the past year. One of the reports was produced by the University of New Hampshire and published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Risk of exposure increases with the amount of time spent on-line and using chatrooms or instant messaging programs. Girls are at greater risk than boys. Older teenagers are more likely to receive such messages than younger ones are. Troubled youths of both sexes and all ages are susceptible. It's a shame that we have to be concerned with such evils, but parents must discuss this unsavory topic with their children. Whether one has access to the Internet at home, it's available at public libraries and many schools.

How appropriate is the warning of the proverb that says, "A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; he winks with his eyes, he shuffles with his feet, he points with his fingers; perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord" (Proverbs 6:12-14).

In other words, such a shifty character presents himself in such a way that it would be difficult for a child to perceive him as dangerous. Children need the presence and involvement of their parents. Hopefully, parents aren't using the Internet as a baby-sitter.

Source: "One U.S. Child in Five Is Hunted by a Sexual Predator on the Net," by John Schwartz, New York Times service, June 21, 2001.