Everyone should tune into Oprah tomorrow or record it if you have to work. Tomorrow’s show, titled “Lured at 13: Held Captive As a Sex Slave,” tells the story of Alicia, who was groomed and eventually abducted by an online predator.

We are familiar with Alicia’s story through our interaction with Enough is Enough, and readers should know that her story is graphic and deeply disturbing. It is, however, something that any child active on the internet should see, so talk to your kids about online predators and go over our game plan before watching.

Many blogs and other media outlets are questioning whether the threat of online predators is as prevalent as most think, citing a recent study by the Crimes Against Children Research Center stating that five percent of online solicitations in 2006 resulted in sexual violence against victims, and only two percent resulted in abductions.

Here at InternetSafety.com, we think that these statistics are not reassuring but rather completely unacceptable, and we are certain after watching Alicia tell her harrowing story of survival, you will too. It is the goal of our company to bring that number down to zero and keep it there. As Alicia told Donna Rice Hughes, President and Chair of Enough is Enough, every parent should install filtering software on their family computers, as it may be the only way parents could find out where their kids are if they are abducted. Our products create logs of IM chats, which could very well be the trail that leads back to your loved ones.

Filed under: Internet Safety News