• Make sure kids understand that strangers online are just as dangerous as strangers they meet in real life. They should never give out any information that could be used to identify or locate them and if they feel uncomfortable they should know to block messages from the other person and speak to parents, teachers or counselors at school.
• Online, people can pretend to be whoever they want, so make sure kids know to never assume that the person they’re talking to is who they claim.
• Do not allow children to have a personal computer in their bedroom. Keep the computer in a central location where you can easily monitor their internet use.
• Keep yourself aware of the other technology kids may use. Many cell phones, mp3 players and video game systems can be used to get online or make contact with strangers, so stay informed and impose limits where necessary. Take advantage of the parental controls that many of these new media technologies offer.
• Make sure your kids know what types of conversation are appropriate. Make sure they know to not spread rumors or use hateful speech online and if they feel like they are being bullied or harassed online make sure they know they can talk to a parent, a teacher or a school counselor for help.
• Make sure kids understand that once something’s online it’s hard to make it go away. What they post now may affect them in the future.

• 34% of 10 to 17 year olds surveyed had posted their real names, telephone numbers, home addresses, or the names of their schools online where anyone could see.1
• More than one fourth (27%) of teens report that they have talked online about sex with someone they have never met in person.2
• One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet say they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. Solicitations were defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or to give personal sexual information.3
• Almost 1 in 8 youths from age 8-18 discovered that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be much younger.4
• One in 11, or 9% of youth said they were harassed online and more than one fourth of all youth (28%) said they had made “rude or nasty comments” to someone on the Internet.5
• 49% of teens 13-17 years old said they were unconcerned that posting personal information online might impact their future in undesired ways and a majority (58%) said they do not think posting personal information and photos on public networking sites is unsafe.6

 
1. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin, 2006
2. Teen Research Unlimited, “Topline Findings from Omnibuzz Research.” October 2005
3. Crimes Against Children Research Center
4. Internet Safety: Realistic Strategies & Messages for Kids Taking More and More Risks Online. December 2005
5. Youth Internet Safety Survey (2006)

As business owners, managers and leaders of community organizations, we all should be concerned about the exposure and potentially life-altering experiences that the internet and social networking web sites have on our youth.

You’ve probably heard of social networking web sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. Sites like these have more than 200 million active members. We feel there is a responsibility to educate youth and adults about the perils of social networking and an opportunity to provide a channel to effectively use these tools to improve one’s life.

The internet has become a powerful tool for information and education but it has also become a growing and equally as powerful tool for child predators and others seeking to negatively impact an individual’s life. MySpace recently reported they removed 29,000 active known sex offenders from their web site. This does not cover the unknown sex offenders or those who have used an alias to create their online profile. Many of the problems taking place on the internet occur through the use of social networking web sites and chat rooms that allow an individual to meet and communicate with people that they do not know as well as share information and photographs of themselves. The most susceptible targets are middle school-age youth through college-age students.

Xercel and Collective Voices have partnered to launch Smart Sammy. An interactive, online education tool for youth through adults.

Through weekly online quizzes based on new information, statistics and experiences released about social networking web sites, youth and adults will be educated and re-educated on an ongoing basis about the issues that exist with social networking web-sites through incentive based rewards.

The incentives being offered for participation in the quizzes include discounts and special offers to each participant and selecting a specified number of winners through a sweepstakes drawing. The winners of the sweepstakes will win prizes that are recognized as prized possessions by the targeted segments such as iPods®, computers, shopping sprees, family vacations, etc. The promotion of the weekly contest and winners of the sweepstakes will be publicized through targeted local media channels.

We are planning for a late fall launch. If you'd like to help, please contact Patty at Xercel: 215.255.6955