If Emily Stone Had a TV Show, This Would Be the Title

Every so often, I will flip by the program “To Catch a Predator” when it is being re-aired as part of the late-night programming on MSNBC. I am sure that many of you are familiar with the show. Host Chris Hansen surprises men who have arrived at a home with the intention of having sex with an underage boy or girl. Hansen reads from a printout of the graphic online conversations, the TV cameras enter the room with Hansen’s identity and purpose revealed, and then the men run out of the house only to be arrested by the police. While everything about these men and their intended crimes is disturbing, perhaps one of the saddest aspects of the show is that they never seem to run out of pedophiles to attract to the undercover operation.

This show is a stark reminder that we must be vigilant about how and where our children use the computer. Did you know that half of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 have communicated online with someone they have never met? And, one-third of teenagers have considered meeting someone in person who they have only met online? If you have not done so, I recommend that you have a conversation with your children in which you establish clear boundaries concerning computer use. Keep the computer in a room that is used by everyone. Let them know you will be monitoring the websites they visit. Respect a certain level of privacy, but do what it takes to keep them safe.

My book "Compulsion" could very easily have been titled To Catch a Predator, because that perfectly describes Emily Stone’s mission in life. She is determined to use her experience and her intuition to capture the criminals who aim to harm the most innocent members of our society. Pedophiles, rapists, and murderers are monitored until the moment is right to hand them over to law enforcement. If Emily Stone did not value her anonymity above all else, I imagine she could start her on television show and have many criminals captured and behind bars for the entire world to see!