With Internet-related crimes burgeoning nationwide, AG Lynch offers safety tips

Release date: 2006-03-07

With dangers associated with young people posting personal information on Internet web sites burgeoning nationwide, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is urging adults to exercise authority and oversight in their children's use of the Internet.

"The stereotype of predators hanging out at playgrounds is rapidly being replaced by predators using the wide world of the Internet to stake out and stalk victims," Lynch states. "MySpace.com and other web sites, intended as cyber-bulletin boards where children and teenagers post personal profiles, can lead them to be entangled in a web of deceit and danger that threatens their safety. Parents need to be aware of the hazards, to communicate them to their children, and to supervise their children's use of the Internet."

MySpace.com, the world's third most-viewed web site behind Yahoo and MSN, has over 51 million members, 15 million of whom are under the age of 18. It is estimated that about 160,000 members join every day. At this site, and similar sites such as Xanga, Facebook, and Friendster, users can build personal pages with photos, sound, and blogs and-from there-link with limitless, and unsupervised, connections

"Parents need to be aware that kids are giving up their anonymity by using these sites," Lynch advises. "They also have to be aware that those intent on enticing children and teens can, and do, mask and change their own identities. Nationally, there have already been too many instances of vulnerable children and teens who have been abducted, abused, molested, or murdered, as a result."

"Of the estimated 24 million child Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17, one in five has received an unwanted sexual solicitation," Lynch cautions. "Two-thirds of those targeted are teenage girls. The best thing kids can do is to stay off of Internet sites like MySpace.com and out of chat rooms. The next best thing is for parents and kids to communicate, to set rules, and to stick with them."

Attorney General Lynch offers the following safety tips:

• Agree to keep the computer in a well-used area of your home, such as a family room, where its use can be monitored.
• Never post any personal information such as an address, phone number, name of school attended, or birth date.
• Never put your picture up! It can easily be manipulated, and used not just by pedophiles but also by mean-spirited classmates.
• Don't use the Internet to make new friends. Use it only to stay in touch with existing friends.
• Never use a web cam on your computer.
• Tell your parents, teachers, or an adult you trust if someone you don't know posts messages on your blog or starts emailing or IMing you.
• Remember! Once you put something on the Internet, it's there forever. Anything you post can come back to haunt you.

Lynch said that especially good websites offering valuable activities and information for adults, teens, and children on Internet safety are www.netsmartz.org, www.isafe.org, and the site operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.NCMEC.org.

Department of The Attorney General