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Teen
Safety on the Information Highway
| This
information contained herein was written by Lawrence J. Magid, a syndicated
columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and host
of www.safekids.com and www.safeteens.com. He is also
the author of Cruising Online: Larry Magid’s Guide to
the New Digital Highway (Random House, 1994) and The
Little PC Book (Peachpit Press, 1993).
Teen
Safety on the Information Highway
was jointly produced by the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, Interactive Services Association, and
The MASTER Teacher.
The
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was
established in 1984 as a private, nonprofit organization and
serves as a clearinghouse of information on missing and
exploited children per federal statutes 42 USC § 5771 and
42 USC § 5780. A 24-hour, toll-free Hotline and
CyberTipline is open for those who have information on
missing and exploited children at 1-800-THE-LOST
(1-800-843-5678)/www.missingkids.com/cybertip. NCMEC is
located at Suite 550, 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington,
Virginia 22201-3077.
Project
OPEN is a partnership of the Interactive Services
Association, the National Consumers League, and the leading
Internet and online services — America Online, AT&T,
CompuServe, Microsoft, NETCOM, and Bell Atlantic — on
privacy issues, working to educate consumers about safe and
responsible online use. For more information contact the
Project OPEN web site at <www.isa.net/project-open> or
toll-free at 1-800-466-OPEN.
Founded
in 1969, The MASTER Teacher provides staff development
publications, videos, software, and other motivational
resources to help teachers and administrators work with
students to better fulfill the work and mission of schools.
The MASTER Teacher (PO Box 1207, Manhattan, Kansas
66505-1207) can be contacted at 1-800-669-9633 or visit
their web site at www.masterteacher.com.
This
information is brought to you as part of a cooperative
effort by
Federal
Bureau of
Investigation |
United
States
Customs Service |
United
States Postal Inspection Service |
Office
of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention |
National
District
Attorney's Association |
This
brochure is funded by the U.S. Customs Service, U.S.
Department of Treasury. The National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the national clearinghouse and
resource center funded under Cooperative Agreement
#98-MC-CX-K002 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.
Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this
brochure are those of NCMEC and do not necessarily represent
the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of
Treasury nor U.S. Department of Justice. |
Whatever your age, the Internet is a
great place to hang out. It's not only fun, but it lets you keep in
touch with friends and family and provides an enormous amount of
information. There are lots of great educational sites as well as
places to keep up with your favorite sports, hobbies, music, and
much more. If you’re a teen, we probably don't need to sell
you on the benefits of the Internet. Many of you know far more than
your parents or even teachers about the wonders of cyberspace.
If you're a parent, talk to your kids about “the Net” and – if
you need to learn more – see if they can help you. Either way,
it's important for teens and parents to share knowledge. You have
something to learn from each other – if not about the Internet,
then about life in general, how to make good decisions, and how to
look at information critically.
Cyberspace is like a big city. There
are libraries, universities, museums, places to have fun, and plenty
of opportunities to meet wonderful people from all walks of life.
But, like any community, there are also some people and areas that
you ought to avoid and others that you should approach only with
caution.
By knowing the dangers and how to
avoid them, you can take advantage of all the positive aspects of
the Internet while avoiding most of its pitfalls.
If you're a teen or a parent of a
teenager you might feel that you don't need the same restrictions
and controls as younger kids. You may be right, but just
because you're older doesn't mean that you're out of danger.
Teenagers are actually more likely to get into trouble online than
younger kids. Teens are more likely to explore out-of-the-way nooks
and crannies of cyberspace, they're more likely to reach out to
people outside of their immediate peer groups and, sadly, they're
more often preyed upon as victims by pedophiles and other
exploiters.
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