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A new poll finds Florida parents perceive their children to be at
greater risk than ever before as they go out in the community, rove
the World Wide Web, or participate in after school programs and summer
camps.
Ironically, the poll reveals many parents perceive their children
to be at greater risk in general, but may not be aware of specific
risks. Forty-five percent of those surveyed in a statewide
poll conducted
by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (between June 19-22, 2006) said
they believe children in their communities today are at a greater
risk of suffering harm at the hands of an offender or predator than
they were five years ago.
“Clearly, parents need and want help to keep the most important
responsibility of their lives – their children – free
from harm,” said Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, who
helped launch the Safe Steps program. “The environment is changing
rapidly and parents need help understanding the risks. The critical
factor is equipping parents with solid information and tips based
on facts and not simply the perception of risks,” he said.
“That’s where SAFE STEPS comes
in. This is an outstanding example of how government, private safety
experts and concerned corporate citizens can come together to fill
a pressing need. Through our Web site, public service announcements,
the informational
booklet published
last year and ongoing educational outreach, we can arm parents with
information about real threats and sound strategies to keep their
children safer.”
Consumer advocate Michelle Vasilinda called the poll results revealing
in a variety of ways that parents and guardians should find helpful. “Above
all, the poll suggests parents are not always clearly identifying
some of the risks,” Vasilinda said. “Nor are they taking
the needed steps to help protect their children.”
For example, she said, the sense of risk undoubtedly is motivating
many Florida parents and guardians to closely monitor their children’s
whereabouts during the day and to attempt to monitor their Internet
activities. The Mason-Dixon poll found:
- A majority of parents say they monitor
the whereabouts of their children every hour of the day during
the summer (68 percent) as well as during the school year (71 percent)
- Some
84 percent said they allow their children to use a home computer
with Internet access and 93 percent of those parents say they are
aware of “when and how” their children
are using the Internet
- 80 percent of parents with children who use
home computers say they read their children’s blogs, journals
or “myspace.com” entries
and 67 percent report they monitor their children’s instant
messaging and chatroom conversations
But, said Vasilinda, the poll also found that while many parents
and guardians are aware of potential Internet risks they may not
be as aware of the practical steps they may, or should, be taking
to help protect their children. The poll found:
- 49 percent of parents (whose children
use the Internet) allow their children to surf the Internet when
they’re not
home
- 14 percent of parents (whose children have
access to a home computer) report the computer is in the child’s
bedroom, the one place experts warn most against placing a computer
- 47
percent of parents incorrectly believe a child is more likely to
be abducted by someone the child does not know, when in fact experts
continue to warn that children are most likely to be abducted by
persons already familiar to them
- 53 percent of parents said they
are familiar with the chatroom codes their children might encounter,
yet only 15 percent of those knew that the commonly used chat room
code “A/S/L” stands
for “Age/Sex/Location”
Eighty-eight percent of Florida parents and guardians believe their
children are likely to tell them of a sexual solicitation, but according
to a 2000 NCMEC study only around 25 percent of solicitations are
reported to parents or guardians. Of the eight percent of parents
in the SAFE STEPS / Mason-Dixon poll whose children reported having
had a threatening or disturbing experience on the Internet, 51 percent
involved exposure to obscene emails or Web sites, 35 percent involved
contact with someone they did not know and two percent involved requests
to meet someone they did not know.
The SAFE STEPS initiative was launched by the Office of the Attorney
General of Florida, the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC), the Florida School Boards Association, Macy’s,
and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
“The key to minimizing risk while on the Internet is education
and supervision. Parents, guardians, kids and teens need to know
what the consequences may be of posting personal information on the
Internet or carrying-on a conversation via instant messaging or chatrooms
with a person they do not know,” said Esther Cookson, Director
of NetSmartz Workshop, NCMEC.
“While something may seem perfectly harmless to a kid or
teen, their naiveté may open the door and make them vulnerable
to online predators. Just as parents warn children of the possible
dangers outside the home, they must be equally vigilant when allowing
them to have access to the Internet.”
Nearly one-third of parents polled report their children maintain
an online journal, blog or personal page on a site such as “myspace.com.” Florida
parents whose children use the Internet report 66 percent of the
children post photos, videos or other personal identifying information
including their name, school and town on the site.
“Certainly, there is a heightened awareness among parents
of the threats posed to their children while online. However this
poll clearly shows that there are other circumstances that can potentially
put their safety at risk,” stated N.K. “Trip” Tripathy,
Macy’s Florida President and COO. “As members of the
community, it is our responsibility to help inform parents of every
possible danger when it comes to the protection of children.”
Almost 30 percent of parents in the poll reported they were “not
sure” whether the summer camps attended by their children performed
background checks of employees.
“Be aware of all the safeguards organizations have as a policy,” said
Wayne Blanton, Executive Director, Florida School Boards Association. “Public
schools in Florida are a safe place for our children and through
the SAFE STEPS initiative, we aim to make children safer everywhere.”
“Raising children can be quite challenging in this day and
age, and it’s critical that we do all we can to keep our children
safe,” said Penny Phillips, Community Relations Manager, Royal
Caribbean Cruise Ltd. “Like my colleague with Macy’s,
all of us with Royal Caribbean International & Celebrity Cruises
are proud to be part of the solution for parents in Florida and to
be helping them cut through the glut of information out there so
they may figure out what steps are truly the most effective when
it comes to protecting their young.”
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