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A children’s advocacy group
launched the first-of-its-kind free online safety resource to help
parents and educators protect youths from being exploited on the
Internet.
NetSmartz411,
as the online program is called, is managed by experts at the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) who can
answer frequently asked questions about Internet safety and online
security.
“Parents and
guardians have a very tough job keeping up with their children in
this ever changing world of technology,” said Ernie Allen, NCMEC
president and chief executive officer.
He said the
resource located at www.NetSmartz411.org was made possible by a
500,000-dollar grant from the Qwest Foundation, which works to
promote online safety awareness.
People who use
the new site can inquire on a variety of topics including how to
report Internet crime, how to be on the lookout for online sexual
predators, or what is a chat room and how it works.
Parents can
also get a grasp of the lingo used by youngsters on the Internet.
For example, 143 stands for I love you, PAL: parents are listening,
or POS: parent over shoulder.
According to a
recent NCMEC-commissioned study by the University of New Hampshire,
one in seven youths online is sexually solicited, and one in three
youths will encounter unwanted exposure to sexually explicit
material online.  --AFP
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