Idaho releases new guide for Internet safety
By Scott LoganBOISE -- The Idaho Attorney General and Secretary of State are launching an updated version of "ProtecTeens" to address Internet safety issues not even on the radar when it first came out five years ago. Multimedia"We are addressing cyberbullying, sexting, and texting," said Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. "These things were not actually happening five years ago." "Anymore, the predators go online to find our children," said Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson. "So reaching out to them with programs like ProtecTeens is vitally important to keep them safe." ProtecTeens is a 25-minute video presentation, also broken down by topic and acted out by local teens with the participation of law enforcement. It teaches parents and their children to watch out for on-line dangers such as cyber-bullying. This manual provides information on social networking websites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com. It describes the nature and content of these sites and explains how to find out if your child has a social networking site profile. Frequent Internet users, including many young people, have developed their own shorthand language to save time typing and hide the real meaning of their messages from others. The dictionary is a parents' guide to decode the acronyms, abbreviated text, and emoticons used in chat rooms, instant messages, text messaging, and blogging. "We tend to take our electronic technology for granted these days, but if you think about the devices you use today, and the way you use them, the technology has changed considerably since we produced the original ProtecTeens program in 2005," Wasden said. "This new video addresses many of those changes in technology and includes subjects that were not even on the radar screen five years ago. We have also completely revised and updated the supporting publications. All of the ProtecTeens components are packaged on a single DVD that includes the video and printed materials in English and in Spanish." "We think we've created a program that every parent with teenage children should watch," Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said. "It has a good discussion of the benefits and risks kids face online, and it can really help parents minimize those risks." The ProtecTeens video and supporting publications are available on the Attorney General's website in both English and Spanish. Idaho residents may order a free copy of the ProtecTeens DVD through the Attorney General's website. Community groups and schools may also use the website to request a presentation by a member of the ProtecTeens Partnership. |
Current Temp
62.0 °F
Light Rain
Upload directly from your mobile device. Learn howYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV. Stay Connected |
Connect with KLEWNews Poll 083010 |
KLEW-TV, 2626 17th Street,