The US Senate has designated June as National Internet Safety month, calling on Internet safety organizations, law enforcement, educators, community leaders, parents, and volunteers to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness regarding the need for online safety.

The Internet has transformed the way that people research, shop, conduct business, and communicate. But the Internet and technologies that enable online interaction and access to a variety of content can be a perilous place for minors. The dangers are real and parents and teachers today are confronted with many threats that they simply do not understand.

According to the US Government:

80 percent of the children of the United States in grades 5 through 12 are online for at least 1 hour per week 41 percent of students in grades 5 through 12 do not share with their parents what they do on the Internet 24 percent of students in grades 5 through 12 have hidden their online activities from their parents 31 percent of the students in grades 5 through 12 have the skill to circumvent Internet filter software 61 percent of the students admit to using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately 20 percent of middle school and high school students have met face-to-face with someone they first met online 23 percent of students know someone who has been bullied online 47 percent of parents feel that their ability to monitor and shelter their children from inappropriate material on the Internet is limited 61 percent of parents want to be more personally involved with Internet safety

The Internet provides unparalleled opportunities for socially beneficial endeavors — such as education, research, commerce, entertainment, and discourse on public affairs — in ways that we may not now even be able to imagine. By the same token, however, individuals who wish to use a computer as a tool to facilitate unlawful activity may find that the Internet provides a vast, inexpensive, and potentially anonymous way to commit unlawful acts. — US Department of Justice

Common Sense Tips for Social Networking: No social networking for kids in middle school or younger. Balance your teen's need for privacy and self-expression with concerns about safety and responsibility. Forbidding social networking sites probably won't work for kids in high school, so focus your energies on appropriate postings and safety information. Create safe privacy settings. Make sure they're set for “friends only.” Tell kids to think about their photos and entries before they’re posted. Since anything can be downloaded and forwarded, ask your kids if they want the world to see what they post. Remind them that future colleges or potential employers could be checking them out. Make sure they avoid all personal identifiers and avoid postings about parties, events, or activities where a stranger could find them. Don't let kids meet strangers.

F-Secure Internet Security 2007 The parental controls have greatly improved, with access to the Internet now being limited according to individually configurable and content-based predefinitions for parent, teenager and child accounts. This uses a combination of whitelists, where you define sites that are allowed, and “safe for children” certification. Configuration options vary depending upon the profile — for teenagers, you can block sites by category such as Adult, Chat, Drugs or Web Mail, whereas the child profile is more a case of all or nothing. Logging is good and entries from the History log can be added to the allowed list with a single click. Time-based access restrictions can be applied, with overall performance equal to that of McAfee and far superior to Norton. — PC Pro Verdict: An almost perfect security suite, combining simplicity and solid protection with excellent value for money. F-Secure Internet Security

Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet Learn the 14 ways in which you can help make the Internet a safer place for you and your family. You teach your children to look both ways before crossing the street. You tell them not to talk to strangers. But do you really know how to teach them to safely use the Internet? In this book, Linda Criddle, a leading child safety expert, offers a practical education about what is safe, what is not, and how taking a few precautions can help your children avoid putting themselves at risk. Discover what the risks are today and common ways in which people inadvertently expose themselves and accidentally reveal information. Learn how to be alert, avoid instant messaging and e-mail dangers, blog and play games safely, and avoid harassment and bullying. Look Both Ways provides the practical information you need to protect yourself and your children from dangers on the Web. USA UK Canada

How to Protect Your Children on the Internet: A Road Map for Parents and Teachers This book shares the risks of the Internet by detailing some recent real-world tragedies and revealing some of the secrets of online activities, and provides a pragmatic approach to helping parents and teachers protect children against the threats of going online. Parents today with children ranging from the age of 8 to 18 are not well-equipped to deal with the variety of devices and applications such as email, instant messaging, browsing, blogs, cell phones, and personal digital assistant (PDA) devices can facilitate the dangers lurking online. Offering practical advice and recommendations, the author arms readers with the information they need to understand how the technologies work as well as how to manipulate them to protect those who use them. This book is indispensible to anyone who uses the Internet and related technologies, and especially to those who are charged with keeping children safe. USA UK Canada

Totally Wired Hooking up via MySpace, bullying on a blog. Using a cell phone as a tracking device? Clearly, being a teen today isn't the same as it used to be. So what are LiveJournal, Xanga, Facebook, and MySpace, and what exactly are teens doing on these sites? Totally Wired is the first inside guide to what teens are really doing on the Internet and with technology today. Author Anastasia Goodstein creates an informative and accessible guide that covers topics such as social networking, blogging, cyberbullying, and much, much more. Including interviews with a cross section of industry professionals and teenagers, and loaded with fascinating statistics and revealing anecdotes, Totally Wired is the first guide that explains to parents in easy-to-understand terms what kids are really up to online, and arms parents with the knowledge they need to promote Internet safety. USA UK Canada

Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence Does it seem like your teen can’t tear himself away from friends on the computer screen (except to text them on his cell phone)? That’s because MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube are your son or daughter’s life, not just another passing diversion. All that energy and time spent online is affecting your teen’s life in countless ways, from sexual pressure and privacy to social standing and self-esteem. Some schools are banning online networking sites, yet your child insists they’re "no big deal." Who’s right? Drawing on personal interviews with hundreds of teens, this book helps parents assess what they should — and shouldn't — be worried about. This is the guide to the world of online adolescence, where you’ll discover the appeal of MySpace, how interaction becomes addictive and how to stop it from taking control, how “friending” is redefining friendship, how young kids are "baring it all" to market themselves, and how to help your kids protect themselves. USA UK Canada

Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn To Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly As our children and teens race down the onramp to the Information Superhighway, many parents feel left behind in the dust. News stories about online sexual predators, child pornography, cyberbullies, hate groups, gaming addiction, and other dangers that lurk in the online world make us feel increasingly concerned about what our children are doing (and with whom) in cyberspace. In Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, Internet safety expert Nancy Willard provides you with need-to-know information about those online dangers, and she gives you the practical parenting strategies necessary to help children and teens learn to use the Internet safely and responsibly. Parents protect younger children by keeping them in safe places, teaching them simple safety rules, and paying close attention. USA UK Canada

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