Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – With online predators just a mouse click away, it’s important that parents have the necessary tools and resources to keep their children safe while using the Internet.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
DET. SETH BLODGETT, investigator with the Maine Attorney General’s Office, was the featured speaker Nov. 3 at an informational meeting held at Presque Isle Middle School. Sponsored by SAD 1, Blodgett discussed with parents the necessary tools and resources to keep their children safe while using the Internet.
That’s why SAD 1 hosted an informational meeting Nov. 3 at Presque Isle Middle School featuring Det. Seth Blodgett, investigator with the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
“Our parents taught us how to stay safe and what is acceptable behavior in our society,” he said, “and now that we have the Internet, we – as parents – have to learn as much as we can about the positive and negative aspects of the Internet.
“We have to teach our children what the appropriate behavior is on the Internet, what some of the bad things are that could happen when you’re online, and the steps to protect themselves,” said Blodgett. “When I ask students how many of them have photos on MySpace or Facebook and how many people put where they live, I always get people who raise their hand. When I ask them how many of them would walk up to me on Main Street and say, ‘Hi, I’m so-and-so, here’s some photos of my family and these are my hobbies,’ they say, ‘No, I wouldn’t do that. It’s not right.’ Online they have no problem putting all that information, and too much information can have some bad consequences.”
Blodgett, the father of a 13- and 17-year-old, said it’s crucial for parents to become involved in their children’s online activity.
“We can monitor what they’re doing online through Facebook or MySpace,” he said. “It’s important for parents to set expectations … let them know what you expect from them in terms of their behavior and how they handle their online content. Make sure you communicate with your children before there’s a problem. You want to have them feel safe to come to you if there is any sort of problem and that they feel comfortable in discussing things with you.”
Through technological advancements, children can access the Internet virtually anywhere.
“They can access it at home, a friend’s home, at school, public libraries and on cellular phones,” said Blodgett. “It is estimated that over 77 million children and teen-agers are online.”
Blodgett shared a number of cyber abuse examples including cyber stalking, cyber bullying, identify theft, exploitation, invasion of privacy and sexting.
“Sexting includes people taking nude or semi-nude photographs of themselves and sending it to a boyfriend or girlfriend, which is disseminating child pornography,” he said. “There’s a case in Vermont where two boys were convicted of a felony crime because one boy sent a photograph of his girlfriend, which fit the statute of child pornography, to his friend. They’re now convicted felons and, in some states, will have to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. This is something we need to make sure our kids are aware of … while they may think that their actions are cute or funny, they could have some lifelong consequences. I don’t think a lot of kids are thinking when they’re doing these things … it’s impulsive.”
Among the statistics Blodgett shared include:
• 20 percent of teen-agers have taken nude/semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves and sent them to someone or posted them online.
• 69 percent send these photos to their boyfriend/girlfriend.
• 30 percent were looking for a date.
• 71 percent of female teens and 67 percent of male teens have sent or posted sexually suggestive content to a boyfriend/girlfriend.
• 21 percent of female teens and 39 percent of male teens have sent such content to someone they wanted to date.
• 15 percent of teens who have sent or posted nude/semi-nude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.
“Kids post things impulsively online,” said Blodgett, “but it’s important to note that you can’t unpost something from the Internet. Once it’s out there, you can’t retract it, and it can come back to haunt you years after the fact.”
Blodgett also showed audience members how easy it is for predators to track a child down by using information they post in their profile.
“A profile can provide a considerable amount of information about a member,” he said. “By knowing where to look, you can find phone numbers and addresses. We need to be careful what we and our kids post about ourselves.”
Parents were given tips on what they can do to minimize the chances of an online exploiter victimizing their child. Suggestions include:
• Talk with your child about sexual victimization and potential online dangers.
• Spend time with your children online and have them teach you about their favorite online destinations.
• Keep the computer in a common room in the house.
• Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software.
• Always maintain access to your child’s online account and randomly check his/her e-mail.
“Parents shouldn’t be so scared that they go home and disconnect their computer,” said Blodgett, “but there are a lot of dangers associated with the Internet and parents need to be aware of those to help keep their children safe. That’s what it’s all about.”
Willie Winslow was one of the parents who attended the presentation.
“When I saw the notice come home with my daughter, I decided to come because technology is so widespread and the children just take it for granted,” he said. “For us, it’s like using the telephone, but the capabilities that go along with the technology are so far advanced that the more knowledge you have, the better.
“I think most parents are somewhat aware of all the things that are out there, but think of it as abstract and see it as something that will happen to someone else’s kid, but the reality is that it will happen to a great percentage of kids,” said Winslow. “Because of the awareness of what’s on the Internet – working in the field that I do – our Internet activity from home is much more limited access and fully supervised. I think the big thing to take away from tonight is the need to keep the lines of communication open, setting expectations and realizing that there are consequences to these actions. The more education to both parents and the children is really where you win the battle.”
For additional information on keeping children safe online, log onto www.netsmartz.org, a Web site of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
