Why it is important to protect children on the Internet

While the Internet is an enormous resource and one of the major technological achievements of our lifetime unfortunately it contains a dark side where criminal activity flourishes. Protecting children from Internet predators and scam artists is a very serious issue, because most children are ahead of their parents in their knowledge of computers and the Internet.

As sophisticated as teens have become, many don't realize that the types of websites they visit, the information they post about themselves, and the off-hand remarks they sometimes make can lead to trouble. They don't always know that the personal information they leave on the Internet is an electronic footprint for online predators and thieves to use against them. In the worst instances, children and teenagers can become victims of molestation by providing personal information and developing relationships with offenders who lure them from their homes for sexual purposes.

According to a national survey of youth 10-17 conducted for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2000, children are being targeted by criminals online in alarming numbers:

• Approximately 1 in 5 youth 10-17 received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.
• Only 40% of youth who received unwanted pornographic material reported the incidents to their parents.
• Only 17% of youth and 10% of parents could name a specific authority, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CyberTipline, or an Internet Service Provider, to which they could make a report, although more said they had "heard of " such places.
• During the past 2 ½ years the Phoenix Police Department's Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has logged 584 Internet crimes against children investigations in Arizona and 45 sexual predators have been arrested or indicted

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The Arizona Attorney General's Internet Safety Initiative

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard launched a major Internet Safety Initiative to assure aggressive prosecution of Internet crimes against children and teamed up with the NetSmartz Workshop® and Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs to provide Internet Safety education to Arizona's children.

What is Netsmartz?

The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive educational resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.

Netsmartz is based on the premise that education through entertainment is the key to prevention. If we can teach children how to surf the Internet more safely, we are assisting in laying the foundation to make a child's Internet experience a more positive one.

The goal of the NetSmartz Workshop is to extend the safety awareness of children to prevent victimization and increase self-confidence whenever they go online. These goals include how to:

• Enhance a child's ability to avoid victimization
  
• Reduce the feelings of guilt and blame that are often associated with victimization
  
• Encourage children to report victimization to a trusted adult
  
• Support and enhance community education efforts
  
• Increase communication between adults and children about online safety

The NetSmartz Workshop is a program of:

Complete the NetSmartz Internet Safety Program online and get an official Arizona Internet Driver's License signed by Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Click here to get one of your own.

To Report Child Sexual Exploitation:

Cyber Tipline 1-800-843-5678

To report other forms of Internet fraud:

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.