1st quarter 2009 vol. 7 - issue 1 Internet Crimes continued... • 14% of youth have actually met face to face with a person they have met on the Internet. Keep our homes safe, enjoy our growing technology, but above all, be smart and always ask questions. Here are some tips on how you can keep your home internet safe: • Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material. • Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor its use. • Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages. • Bookmark kids' favorite sites for easy access. • Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior. • Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to chat rooms reveals a user's email address to others. • Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges. • Find out what, if any, online protection is off ered by your child's school, after-school center, friends' homes, or any place where kids could use a computer without your supervision. • Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange. • Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your kids get to your Internet service provider. • Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 if you're aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet. The internet is a great tool and the future will be even greater with our growing technology, but keep you and your family smart and safe. Page 5