The Abstinence Clearinghouse Blog

Article from Enough is Enough

By Donna Hughes

 It seems that everyday, we receive another report of a missing child.  Regardless of age, race, gender, location, or academic achievement, no child is immune.  While the vast majority of cases of abductions do not involve the Internet, in today’s tech-connected world, it’s critically important for kids to guard personal information that could make them a target.  In a recent survey, one in ten youth posted or shared information on a public blog or social networking site about places they typically go.  The majority of teens today share photos and videos of themselves on a number of public spaces, placing them at increased risk to being targeted by an Internet predator, cyberbully or identity thief.  Please take time to educate the children under your care about staying safe in their on- and offline worlds.  As parents, teachers and other caring adults, we all have a role to play in protecting children.  We are the first line of defense!

Teach your children how to protect personal information posted online and to follow the same rules with respect to the personal information of others: Remind your children to think before they post: there are no take-backs online. Nothing is truly private on the Internet; and all information sent or posted online is public or can be made public by those who have access to the material.
 
Caution your children about posting:

•  Personal or Contact Information: Your child’s full name,   address, phone number, passwords, and financial identity information should only be provided on a secure site and under parental supervision.
• Intimate personal information: Private, personal and sensitive information (such as a teen’s journal) should not be posted at all and should only be shared in private emails with a trusted personal friend.
• Reputation-damaging information or images: Explicit or suggestive pictures, etc. should never be posted or sent.
• Event Information: Teach children to avoid all postings about parties, events, or activities where a predator or bully could find them.

Teens whose parents have talked to them “a lot” about Internet safety are more concerned about the risks of sharing personal info online. For instance, 65% of teens whose parents have not talked to them about online safety post information about where they live compared to 48% of teens with more involved parents.

As parents, guardians and other concerned adults, we encourage you to use Internet Safety Rules N’ Tools to help start a discussion with your kids TODAY about where they are going and what they are doing online! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

More information may be found at www.enough.org