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Maggie Castro
Professor Wafa
English 114B
19 February 2015
The Dangers and Safety of the Web
Although the web has helped us accessing information and knowledge, it also has its
dangers. So we have to take precaution of pedophiles, scams, hackers, cyberbullying and more.
The web has become more dangerous over the years because we dont take precaution and give
out personal information. We have to be more carful and think of the consequences.
Some people tend to give out personal information and think nothing bad will happen.
Unfortunately, sometimes theyre wrong. You should never give out your full name or where you
live. For all you know, they can track you down and they can be dangerous. We always have to
know who exactly we are talking to. Pay attention to their profile and see if they have mutual
friends and the amount they have. Also, check their pictures and see if they arent using other
peoples pictures. We have to be aware of these things for our safety.
The web has also been dangerous to children and teenagers. Some are victims of sexual
predators. These predators usually look for those who are emotionally unstable, making them the
easy target. Then they try to be there for comfort and support so the victim can trust them. They
then start sending pornographic photos or try to get their victim to meet them. Every child/teen
should not speak to someone they dont know. There was a case in 2002 about a woman named,
Alicia Kozakiewicz. She was 13 years old at the time when she was abducted by an online

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predator. She thought she was taking to a boy online whp ended up being her best friends, but it
was a 40-year old man who was a sex sadist, online child predator and convicted felon. He
drove me to his home in Virgina where I was held captive in a basement dungeon and I was
raped and beaten and tortured, she lamented.She went through a terrifying experience and
shares her story to remind young children and adults to take precaution and never give out
personal information. Children ar more at risk toady, she said. There sendng far too much
information today and its sort of becoming a rite of passage to do things.
In some cases, some people give out their credit card information. Some give their credit
card information to someone they are dating online but have never met in person. Others might
give their information to fake onine donations, work-at home schemes, and other types of
internet frauds. Those who try the online dating and start talking to someone, some might end up
being lost in their words of sweetness such as, Youre the most amazing person Ive ever met.
Im glad I met you, I love you. Those theieves easily manipulate their victims to get what they
want which is money. Now, others give out their information to these donations but in reality
they are just being robbed. You should never give out your social security number or your credit
card pin. You cant easily trust someone you have never met, get to know them more. Use Skype
to see if they are the person form their profile. You should also observe the website where you
wish to donate or work for. Listen to your intincts in its telling you itd not a good idea.
Another problem about the web is cyberbullying. Some think its ok to do it online
because they think they are never going to get caught. They think they have this power towards
their victim which makes it easy to bully them online. Cyberbullying has been becoming a huge
issue to deal with nowadays. This usually happens with young teenagers. Many expressive nasty,
rude comments, harassment, and threats. In some cases, the victims are able to find out who is

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the one thats harassing them. In other cases, they end up killing themselves because they dont
tell their parents and feel helpless in the situation. I think its always best that if youre
experiencing cyberbullying, always let your parents know about the situation in case if anything
happens. Also, if they are threatening you then you should print out all instances of
cyberbullying, but sometimes it is not enough evidence for the law enforcement agency to use. If
you can block them, do that and cut out any type of communication with them. You can also
delete your old email account and set up a new one. Any you can simply not respond back if they
keep messing with you.
The suicide rates have drastically increased from cyberbullying. Suicide is the third
leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according
to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicides attempts.
Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have
attempted it. Just thinking that theres some teenagers considering killing themselves is an awful
thought. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than nonvictims, according to studies by Yale University. This shows how cyberbullying has a huge
effect on victims of this situation. According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30
percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from
school every day because of fear of bullying. Not only does bullying hurt them emotionally, but
it also takes the victims freedom. Hey are afraid to go out or are embarrassed if it has to do with
an inappropriate picture of them. These victims dont deserve to be put through this and
everyone should think about the pain they can cause to someone else because of cyberbullying. It
doesnt make you the stringer person; on the contrary it makes you the weak one. It is important
for parents to educate their children about the web. About what is right and what is wrong. It is

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never okay to hurt someone elses feelings online. They should think twice before putting an
inappropriate picture of their victim online. Once they put it up, its on the Internet forever. Hey
should step into their shoes first. No one would like it if they did the same thing to the either, so
why do it?
I have a friend who went through cyberbullying. She was always getting harass and she
got threaten with a picture of her. She didnt know what to do. I asked her what was wrong
because she seemed off and different than usual. She didnt want to tell me, but after trying so
many times she finally told me what was going on. I told her to tell her parents because I
personally didnt know what to do. Of course she didnt want to because she knew they would
exaggerate. I understood what she meant but when it involves a picture, its crucial. I ended up
telling her parents knowing she would get mad but I was worried about her. Her parents then
involved the police. Luckily, my friend print out all the messages she received online and even
snapshot text messages. We then end up finding up; it was a girl from our school. We both knew
her. She hated my friend because she went out with her ex-boyfriend. She was then expelled
from our school. Its sad that some people have the courage to do these types of things especially
for some boy. I was glad it was over and happy to see my friend herself again. She learned a
lesson about sending pictures. I learned a lot from that experience as well and I hope no one goes
through that. Anyone should help in some type of way. If you know someone who is causing it,
talk them out of it or report it. If you know someone getting bullied, be there for them and
support them. Im glad theres campaigns such as, Stop Bullying, and celebrities who are a part
of that because their role models to many people.
The web can be very useful, but yet very dangerous. No one should ever feel threaten or
afraid using it. These many ways to prevent things from happening or to get help. Some people

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think its not too bad to share some personal information, but then they notice their bank account
empty or get abducted. Yes, you can meet someone amazing online, possibly your soulmate. But
it is always better to think about what youre going to share. Dont share your credit card
accounts, your social, your address, or full name. Remember you dont know who you are
talking to. It can be someone dangerous. Also, dont use the web to bully someone. Its never
okay to even bully someone. No one like getting picked on and being harass. You can be the
cause of someones death. You wouldnt want to live with the guilt so dont even think about it.
You wouldnt want to get bullied so dont do it as well, it that easy. If youre being bullied
online, talk to someone before it gets out of hand. Its always best to let someone know because
any of the times the victim kills themselves because they feel alone. The web should be used
correctly and not to terrorized others. Always listen to your conscience and think twice before
you act. We should all help each other and not destroy each other.

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Work Cited
Morten, Nicole. Victim of Online Child Predator: I Was Tortured, Raped &
Brutally Beaten Http://www.kbtx.com/ . 24 Apr. 2013. Web.
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html