Also, if children are avoiding their friends or skipping classes, they may be attempting to meet with the predator. Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else. Even if you don't subscribe to an Internet service, your child may meet an offender while online at a friend's house or the library. Most computers come pre-loaded with Internet software. Computer-sex offenders will sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communications with them.
Some children are particularly vulnerable to online predators.
Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign. Online predators almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child online, they will continue to communicate electronically, often via e-mail. This document is from the Web Awareness section of the Media Awareness Network Web site.