2007 Year in Review

Taming Technology: Keeping Kids Safe Online

It’s 8:00 p.m. Do you know where your children are? If they are online and unsupervised, they may not be as safe as you think.

According to netsmartz.org, an internet safety site:

- 71% of teens reported receiving messages online from someone they didn’t know.

- 40% of those children replied and chatted with that person.

- Only 18% reported that they told an adult.

- 30% said that they have considered meeting someone face-to-face that they’ve only talked to online.

While these statistics are based on responses from teenagers, younger children are spending increasing amounts of time online as well. It is very likely that they are also being contacted by strangers and being put into inappropriate or unsafe situations.

Many parents want to protect their children from internet problems, but don’t know how to do so. Technology is advancing so rapidly that it is hard to keep up. The Character Coalition of the Sauk Valley Area is sponsoring an internet safety presentation geared to parents of children ages three to eighteen years. “Taming Technology: Keep Kids Safe Online,” will be facilitated by Stacy Krones, Instructional Technology Specialist for Sterling Schools, on Monday, November 5th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The workshop will be held at two locations: live at Sauk Valley Community College, Route 2, Dixon, and via video conference at the University of Illinois Extension Office, 100 East Knox, Morrison.

Topics to be covered include MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Text Messaging, and Cyber Bullying. Stacy will also be discussing age-appropriate computer guidelines, rules, expectations, and monitoring. To register, call Sandy at (815) 857-3525 or Register Online. There is no charge for this presentation but preregistration is required by November 2, 2007.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
October 11, 2007