Concerned Parents Online

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Ride For Missing Children

A local ride for an important cause- with the mission statement: "to make our children safer...one child at a time."

More on this upcoming event soon.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Why this Matters

In 2000, 1,501 youths aged 10-17 were surveyed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of those youths surveyed:
- 1 in 4 had an unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex in the last year.
- Approximately 1 in 5 received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.
- 1 in 17 was threatened or harassed.
- 1 in 33 received an aggressive sexual solicitation — a solicitor who asked to meet them somewhere; called them on the telephone; sent them regular mail, money, or gifts.
- Approximately 25% of young people who reported these incidents were distressed by them.
- Less than 10% of sexual solicitations and only 3% of unwanted exposure episodes were reported to authorities such as a law-enforcement agency, an Internet Service Provider, or a hotline.
- About 25% of the youth who encountered a sexual solicitation or approach told a parent. Almost 40% of those reporting an unwanted exposure to sexual material told a parent.
- Only 17% of youth and approximately 10% of parents could name a specific authority, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CyberTipline®, or an Internet Service Provider, to which they could make a report, although more said they had “heard of” such places.
- In households with home Internet access, 1 in 3 parents said they had filtering or blocking software on their computer at the time they were interviewed.

These statistics, a link to the full report, and further relevant information can be found at http://www.netsmartz.org/news/blogbeware_pg2.htm/.
6 years later, the opportunity for online danger has increased exponentially (ie: MySpace danger). It matters.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

MySpace Danger

A friend of mine who knows I'm working on this project passed over this article today. It discusses some registered sex offenders who have MySpace profiles and the implications of their membership... http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,70675-0.html?tw=rss.index Definitely worth a read.

We all know the dangers are out there... The question is, as parents, where do we go from here??

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Introduction

Hello to the online community and to fellow concerned parents:

I am writing you today to begin a discussion. To talk about what's happening in our world: both online and otherwise. To think about how we can protect our children in this modern age: how we can encourage them to expand their mind without exploiting their character. To ask your advice. To make some suggestions. To protect our kids.

Let me begin by saying, I am not anti-Internet. Quite the contrary if the truth be known. I think the Internet is a powerful tool with a great capacity to positively impact our society. Perhaps the most important innovation for this generation-a true turning point in history as we know it.

I am amazed at the multi-tasking capabilities observed in my sisters-to chat on IM while checking email while uploading songs to their Ipods while talking on their cell phone; conceivably even while finishing up their history essay or math assignment. I am floored by my pre-school aged daughter's interest in my laptop and by the basic navigational skills she has formed from the few times we've played Dora games on nickjr.com. I am thrilled every time I receive an email from my 83 year old grandmother who lives on the opposite coast. I am relieved each year to beat the holiday rush at the mall and order gifts online. I am informed by my programmable news bulletins, action networks, and choice information sites. I am thankful that when my daughter is sick, I can work from home with a technological connection that makes me just as accessible as if I were in the office. I live by my Outlook calendar and the daily functions and appointments it tracks, allowing me to think of other things. And I am communicating to all of you by the wonder that is the Internet-in short, I am a huge proponent of this tremendous tool we have stumbled across in recent years.

But I am also scared. As the mother of a preschooler, I am scared. As the older sister to two teenaged girls, I am scared. And as a member of this society, I am scared. We quite literally have the entire world at our fingertips now. This is an amazing and wonderful thing. However, there are dangers that accompany this wealth of information.

I will continue to say that I am not for censorship. As a founding tenant of the American society and an important part of change and expression, the freedom a speech is a basic right that should never be violated. Without it, we lose our fundamental freedom to be ourselves. I am not proposing censored speech; I am, however, proposing thoughtful speech.

This is the point in which I will stop speaking to you as adults and start speaking to you as parents, as mentors, as siblings, and as role models. How you choose to represent yourself on the Internet is your own personal business. Presumably, if you are in a mentoring adult role to a child, you have been on this planet long enough to make your fair share of mistakes and to learn the hard truth of consequence. I know I've been there. However, chances are when we made our mistakes they were only available to our immediate circle-our families perhaps or our friends. If there was evidence of these events, it was kept fairly private. There was no documentation. Not so any more. Today's youth have access to the world and the world has access to them.

Most parents today know that teens are using the Internet and popular sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Xanaga, Friendster, and the like to network with friends, family, and the outside world. This can be a great thing if used properly. What many parents do not realize is that these sites are frequently used improperly: with the posting of personal data and/or suggestive images and information. What most parents would like to ignore is the possibility that this could be your child.

Recently there has been enormous news coverage surrounding www.myspace.com : a networking site that allows users to create a profile and then to view the profiles of other users. Generic profiles include basic information such as interests, heroes, favorite books, marital status, education, etc. Users can even program the site so that while others are viewing, they will hear the favorite song programmed in by that particular user. Some pretty harmless stuff. However, there are other items that may cause parental anxiety: name, hometown, photos, current city, body type...

MySpace and similar sites have received its fair share of the public spotlight recently, with attention both positive and negative:
* MySpace on Dateline (NBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12192496/
* MySpace and Sexual Predators http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_3715613/
* MySpace Working Toward Online Safety http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2006-04-11-myspace-safety_x.htm
* MySpace and Criminal Justice http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/25/my.space.ap/index.html
* Online Impersonation and Cyberstalking http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/technology/17stalk.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
It's clear that people are talking... But now, as parents it's time to do more than talk-it's time to educate ourselves and work to protect our children.

That's why I am starting this website. The way I see it, as a young mother and an older sister I am on the generational cusp: young enough to know, but old enough to know better. I realize the draw of the online community and the opportunities it presents to this generation, but I'm also aware of the dangers that lurk. And I think there can be a happy medium.

I am not proposing we forbid our children from using these sites or from surfing the Wed-if you choose to take that path, that is your right and prerogative; however, I believe in the age-old idea that if you tell a child not to do something, it will make it all the more appealing. I am suggesting that we as parents begin to educate ourselves on this tool that is a defining aspect of our children's generation. That we communicate openly with our children and with each other about the wonders and the dangers that this tool presents. That we work together to make the Internet and the world at large a safer place for our children.

Within a few days, this site will be much more extensive than the intro you're seeing now-I plan to do more research and speak to area experts about what we can do to reach this goal through safety suggestions, etc. In the meantime I need your input. Please share your thoughts, stories, and advice to other parents. Let this be what the best of Internet possibility and potential: a place to learn and to educate others, to share thoughts and ideologies, and to grow as parents and individuals.

I will be in touch soon, but I do look forward to hearing from you until then...

Amie