Parents Focus on Internet Safety

By Jesse Olivarez, The Daily Oklahoman

Mar. 29–MIDWEST CITY — Whenever Rave Meyer wants to check if her children’s eyes work properly, all she has to do is begin talking to them about Internet safety. “They all roll their eyes at me,” she said. “They say, ‘We know Mom, we know.’ I guess I’ve talked to them a few times about that.” For several years Meyer, a 40-year-old mother of three, has worked with her husband to teach their kids about the dangers lurking online. She didn’t realize there was a need to talk to other parents about Internet safety until she made an odd discovery a few weeks ago while online. “I was checking up on what my children were doing online when I came across several Web journals belonging to some of their classmates,” she said. “I was shocked. I remember looking at the pictures and saying, ‘I know that kid!’”

With that, Meyer began organizing a free Internet safety seminar for other parents in the Midwest City-Del City School District. Online journals Meyer said one of the sites on which she saw her children’s classmates was Xanga. Xanga is one of at least half a dozen online journal hosting services used by teenagers for social networking. The journals themselves are called xangas and each entry posted is called a weblog. People often use these weblogs, or blogs, to write about their interests, hobbies and friends. Users can view other people’s journals and can send private messages or post a public comment. They can also access photos posted by another user. Although mostly used by teenagers, the service is open to anyone. Easy prey James Adams, supervisory special agent for the FBI in Oklahoma, said the problem with children blogging, is they often reveal too much information about themselves. He said his agency has found instances in which teenagers have revealed their full names, addresses, cell phone numbers and other information online that makes them easy prey for an online predator. “There are lots of ways children can express themselves, but blogging shouldn’t be one of them,” he said. “It’s just too dangerous.” Stephanie Pok, community outreach coordinator for the Oklahoma County district attorney’s office, agrees. Pok said one in five children in Oklahoma County between the ages of 10 and 17 have received an unsolicited e-mail for sex. She said one of 33 children in that same age group have received an aggressive solicitation to meet a stranger in person. In 2005, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children interviewed 1,500 children who were the victims of Internet sex crimes. Of those, 65 percent said they had received a sexual solicitation while they were in a chatroom. Another 24 percent said they had received a sexually explicit instant message. During 2005, Adams said his office identified 170 people nationwide who were distributing or trading child pornography, or attempting to locate a child in Oklahoma. In that same period, 31 Oklahomans were arrested and charged for trading or producing child pornography. Adams said 27 were convicted. What can parents do? One of the best things parents can do is to establish rules for their children while they’re online, Adams said. He encourages parents to spend time with their children online to learn about their kids’ favorite online Web sites. The computer should be placed in a room in the house where everyone can access it, not in just in the child’s bedroom, he said. “Most of these things are common sense,” he said. Adams also encourages parents to be a little nosy when it comes to their children’s online activities. Parents should review the cache and history files on the computer; if a questionable address is found, parents should investigate, he said. He said the most important thing is for parents to communicate to their children to not be afraid to come forward if they ever find themselves in an uncomfortable situation. Activities monitored Chana Martin, 36, said she has tried her best to teach her children what to not do online. Martin and her husband closely monitor the children’s Internet activities and have access to all their accounts. Martin said she has grounded all three of her children for Internet activity in the past. “I tell them that if they want to be online, they have to act responsibly,” she said. Ashleigh Martin, 17, said she doesn’t mind her parents checking up on her because it shows her they care. “I know that they’re just trying to keep me safe,” she said. Chana Martin said parents shouldn’t assume their child isn’t online just because they don’t have a computer. “Children have so many opportunities to access the Internet now that it’s unwise for anyone to think their kids aren’t online,” she said. “Parents need to get involved and learn more about Internet safety before their children are harmed.”

—–

Copyright (c) 2006, The Daily Oklahoman

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

NASDAQ-OTCBB:CITC,