A New National Campaign for Internet Safety
Summary
The initiative includes four primary components: - Grassroots – geared toward reaching caregivers on a personal level to educate them on the importance of protecting our children.A Journal of American Medical Association report on Cyberspace and Virtual Networks estimates that about 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in either chat rooms or through instant messaging.Dateline NBC in their ongoing Cybercrime coverage, reported that as many as 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given moment; as a result, thousands of children are at risk for molestation, kidnapping and murder because of contacts and conversations that take place on the Internet.The initiative includes four primary components:- Grassroots – geared toward reaching caregivers on a personal level to educate them on the importance of protecting our children.- Faith-based – partnering with churches and organizations around the country providing training and education to church leaders, youth leaders and parents.- Youth Awareness Rallies – engaging youth of every race, culture, gender and social class in workshops, panels, forums that stress the importance of online responsibility.- Campaign website – a conduit between communities, state agencies and the federal government regarding child internet safety.According to the state Office of the Attorney General’s website, Florida ranks fourth in the nation for the volume of child pornography.A Journal of American Medical Association report on Cyberspace and Virtual Networks estimates that about 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in either chat rooms or through instant messaging.