First Lady Takes Lead on Child Internet Safety
Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte teamed up with a national organization to launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. Conte joined leaders of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition and state education officials to announce the effort. The nationwide campaign uses a Web site, children’s books and educational materials to emphasize three simple tips for children to stay safe on the Internet:
First, keep your personal information protected.
Second, don’t meet anyone in person you’ve found online.
Third, tell a parent or guardian if you see or receive something offensive.
The rest of this posting is courtesy of the Associated Press:
“The Internet is a wonderful tool,” Conte said. “But it’s important children understand there can be some bad aspects of that, too. We just want them to be very aware and learn these basic rules that will keep them safe.” Two main elements of the campaign, which can be found at ikeepsafe.org, are a book and cartoon adaptation designed to illustrate to children the danger of giving personal information to a stranger online, or worse - meeting that person.
State Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said the initiative in Tennessee is aided by the fact just about all its classrooms have Internet connections. Even though those sites are safe, she said they still provide a teaching tool for children. “If we begin in school, then work with their families, I think we can begin to make a difference,” Seivers said.
Conte was to send an e-mail about the initiative to all the state’s elementary principals on Tuesday, as well as instructing them to inform parents about the campaign, which targets children in grades one through four. “The beauty of this is that it doesn’t have to be done in a classroom or assembly,” said coalition spokeswoman Iris Beckwith. “It can be done by parents who sign on to the Web site, who will read the book with children and watch the movie at home.”
Jackie Leavitt, founder of the coalition and the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, said the participation of parents or guardians is vital. “Parents are the first line of defense,” Leavitt said in a phone conversation from Washington, D.C. “What your kids don’t know can hurt them.”
Officials say the campaign is important because of the growing number of children who are becoming victims of sexual abuse. Tennessee, like other states, has a sex offender registry, and law enforcement officials say they welcome anything that will help children and possibly apprehend offenders.
