May - Blog Beware
(The following
is taken directly from the Missing Kids website at www.missingkids.com. Please visit their website for further
information.)
The Problem
Recent incidents involving Internet crimes against children have been
prominent in the media. In some incidents, the crimes have involved
suspects and victims who met each other on social networking or blogging
sites such as MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, and Facebook.
Blogs and social networking sites where people can meet, communicate,
and interact have recently exploded in popularity. The number of
visitors to MySpace went from 4.9 million in 20051 to
currently over 67 million.2 Like most new technological
developments, this brings both positive and negative implications,
especially for parents and their children.
The majority of the activity on these sites is legal and can be
positive. Young people who are curious connect with friends and seek
like-minded individuals. However, many children and teens are not aware
they are putting themselves in danger by giving out too much personal
information and communicating with people they've only met online.
The unprecedented amount of personal information available on blogs
and social networking sites makes them a perfect place for people who
would harm children to identify their victims and gain their trust. This
trust can be used to lure children and teens into a false sense of
security, making them vulnerable to "grooming" and enticement to meet in
person, which could have very serious consequences. Other dangers to
children include exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, or
identity theft.
Children and teens are often not aware that their words "which may
have been intended for a small audience" sometimes find their way to a
larger one, especially if they are controversial. Some students who have
posted threatening words against their school or classmates have
attracted the attention of law enforcement, while those who have posted
inappropriate comments about school personnel have also been
disciplined. Some universities and employers have even used online
postings when considering potential candidates.
Even before the rise of blogs and social networking sites, children
faced many dangers while online. Our 2000 study reported that one in
five children had received a sexual solicitation online and one in 33
received an aggressive solicitation. This problem is compounded because
most children did not inform their parents of the incidents. Less than 1
in 4 told a parent about the sexual solicitation they received.
To help stop this dangerous trend, NetSmartz is releasing "Blog
Beware" to raise the awareness about the risks associated with these
sites and give parents, children, and teachers the tools they need to
keep children and teens safer online. This resource contains safety tips
for parents and children and includes a quiz that they can take
together. It is also supported by the extensive material available on
NetSmartz.org for kids, teens, parents, educators, and law enforcement.
The NetSmartz© Workshop is an interactive, educational safety
resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children© (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to
17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses
age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on
the Internet. NetSmartz has developed a comprehensive educational
Internet safety program that has been proven successful in more than
3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country reaching over 3.3 million
young people. NetSmartz officially partners with 15 states to implement
its important Internet safety message in the community and help prevent
the online victimization of children.
