| It goes without saying that the Internet has opened up a whole new world to us. It can be a valuable educational tool and help our children learn more about the world. Internet proficiency is a necessity in today’s working environment and it is vital that students learn to use and understand it.
Our children also use the Internet to socialize with their friends and to express their creative side through website design and publication of their work. Many of our children use social networking sites such as MySpace.com to make their own webpages or create profiles containing information about themselves and their interests. Through these websites, children can connect with other people who share similar interests.
Around 90 million people worldwide use MySpace.com and 61 percent of American teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 have a MySpace profile. Although most people use the site to network with friends and to practice designing and maintaining a webpage, a small minority of users unfortunately abuse these sites and use them to seek out minors for sexual purposes. Children and young adults may not realize it, but the information they provide on their profiles can be used to target them. Predators often pretend to be a fellow child or teen and express interest in the same activities as the potential victims in order to gain their confidence. In fact, the Department of Justice estimates that 20 percent of children using the Internet have received a sexual solicitation online.
The Energy and Commerce Committee, of which I am Vice-Chairman, is considering legislation to address this problem. The Deleting Online Predators Act (H.R. 5319) seeks to prevent our children from being targeted in this despicable manner. It requires schools and libraries to block access to networking sites or chat rooms through which a minor may easily be subject to unlawful sexual advances or easily access indecent or obscene material. It also requires the Federal Communications Commission to set up an advisory board to monitor issues surrounding Internet safety.
Although H.R. 5319 could place restrictions on access to networking sites at school and in the library, 87 percent of young people also access the Internet from home, underscoring the need for parents to talk about Internet use with their children. There are some simple steps parents can take to help address this issue. Placing the computer in a shared area of the house rather than a bedroom makes it easier to monitor its use. Explaining to your child why they should never give out personal information such as an address or phone number over the Internet and why they should always treat strangers who contact them with caution also will alert them to potential dangers. For additional tips, please visit www.WiredSafety.org. This website is maintained by a non-profit organization committed to providing information on Internet safety to children and parents.
We tell our children to be wary of strangers on the street, but it can be easy to forget that they need our guidance and protection in the virtual world just as much as in the real world. The Deleting Online Predators Act will help protect our children, but it is not a substitute for parents working diligently to protect our children who access the Internet from home. |
