Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column September 2006 Protecting Our Children with Internet Safety Practices
Keeping our children safe is the most important thing for parents, police and everyone who works with public safety.
One area of concern that didn't exist in previous generations is the importance of Internet safety.
As your City Councilman and a member of the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee, I am working with Attorney General Terry Goddard, Phoenix Police and companies who work on Internet safety to bring a strong message to the public.
We will be holding a community Internet safety information session in Arcadia at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Ingleside Middle School, 5401 E. Osborn Road.
Learning Internet safety is the same idea as making sure our kids are safe when they are out in public places. While your computer may be in your home, the Web gives outsiders access to your children.
A recent survey showed very disturbing results for teens aged 13 to 17:
14 percent of children questioned admitted to having face-to-face meetings with strangers they met on the Internet.
30 percent considered having these kinds of meetings.
71 percent said they had received messages from strangers.
45 percent reported that strangers had asked them for personal information.
These alarming numbers show that parents need to be aware of Internet dangers, while police make tracking down predators a top priority.
Phoenix Police and other law enforcement agencies in our state are working together to do just that. A special task force of Phoenix detectives works closely with groups around Arizona and the country. In Phoenix over the past year, the task force worked on 750 investigations that led to 40 arrests or indictments.
Attorney General Goddard and I are working on state legislation to give police new resources to catch and prosecute predators. The law would make it a crime to send images of lewd acts to minors, set minimum sentences for people convicted of luring minors through the Internet and prohibit sex offenders from setting up social networking Web sites.
The goal of taking this message to the public is to make basic Internet safety part of your family's routine. Here are some tips to consider:
Keep the computer in a room shared by the family.
Establish times when your children are allowed to be on the Internet and supervise them.
Check the computer's Internet history frequently to find out what sites your children have visited.
Purchase child-safe software, available at electronics stores and on the Internet.
Teach your children never to give out any personal identifying information, such as a full name, an address, phone number, school or favorite hangouts.
If you are concerned about an e-mail your child receives, report it to the Office of the Attorney General at www.azag.gov or to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com.
By working together and staying educated, we can keep our kids and families Internet safe.
Phoenix City Councilman Greg Stanton represents Arcadia and is a member of the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee. If you have any questions about any issues, please feel free to call Councilman Stanton's office at 602-262-7491, e-mail greg.stanton@phoenix.gov or visit phoenix.gov/district6.
