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Internet paranoia

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Lrf

Member since
July 2024

112 posts

I'm having so much anxiety lately about my son's internet use, it's their dad who was charged with IIOC but I think my eyes have been so opened by reading everyone's experiences on here that now I just feel the internet is scary and unsafe in general. I've read some heartbreaking accounts from mums who's children have stumbled on images and even in some cases reported them and still ended up in this nightmare. At the moment my son's internet usage is very restricted because I have so much fear in me about this happening to them, even by accident. I don't allow WhatsApp or any messaging or social media that contains images, they don't have a computer in their room apart from the school issue laptop, which is monitored by school or they can use my laptop. Their phones have apps to monitor the apps they access and I have parental controls set on all gaming consoles. But sometimes I feel like I'm maybe over doing it and it's not fair compared to kids their age and I don't want them to be the weird kids not (towards teenage age) allowed on the internet but once you've seen how easy it is for people to get in this hole even accidentally it's so hard not to be terrified. Even myself I am extremely careful what links I click on, what websites I visit .... I feel like everyone is a click away from danger. I don't know if I'm overdoing it but I couldn't live through this again and raising boys porn/adult image free in this world suddenly feels almost impossible. But then I think I've gone my whole life without ever coming across one of these images and I'm betting every other woman on this forum has gone their hole lives without ever accidently stumbling on one of these images, is it luck or is it because we have never searched for them or been in a pocket of the internet where they might be?

Posted Tue April 8, 2025 8:54pmReport post

Ajustcopingparent

Member since
August 2024

147 posts

Reading your post I could have written it myself. I've developed a massive anxiety around the Internet and like you though I think how have I managed to avoid it when being on the Internet all these years.

My son is 16 and under investigation. We know he's reported stuff on Snapchat. If anything is found I pray they take into account that he's reported stuff.

I wish the Internet never existed.

Posted Tue April 8, 2025 11:04pmReport post

LittleRobin3

Member since
April 2024

803 posts

I too have developed an anxiety around Internet use and stumbling upon stuff so I got in touch with LF via live chat. They told me that it's extremely rare to genuinely stumble upon stuff that's illegal. It tends to comes from sites/chat/individuals that are unsafe in the first place. That put my mind at rest, to a degree.

Posted Wed April 9, 2025 9:59amReport post

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