Discuss safety with children

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced Friday the launch of Take 25, a national program that encourages parents to take 25 minutes to discuss safety precautions with their children.

Shurtleff, along with representatives of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, met with a group of sixth-grade students at Viewmont Elementary School in Murray to discuss the program and commemorate the 25th anniversary of National Missing Children's Day.

They emphasized the dangers children could face if they give out information about themselves online and encouraged students to tell a trusted adult about potentially dangerous situations.

"The person who can make the biggest difference is you," Max Rogers of Boys and Girls Clubs told the children. "You can be heroes by telling someone."

The Take 25 program also includes a list of 25 ways parents can keep their children safe, including monitoring their online activities, teaching them how and when to call 911 and teaching them to say "no" in situations in which they are uncomfortable.

Seven years ago Viewmont Elementary became the first school in Utah to begin teaching children about Internet safety in kindergarten. ICAC representatives have visited the school each year to teach the students about the importance of not revealing personal information or talking to strangers online, Viewmont computer specialist Colleen Nadauld said. Nadauld said she reinforces these lessons several times each year by using NetSmartz, a Web site that teaches Internet safety with games, movies and activities. Utah adopted NetSmartz as its school Internet safety program two years ago, Rogers said.

Sixth-grader Parker Crossland said he is glad for the Internet safety programs in which he has been involved.

"It really helps kids," he said. "You don't want your friends to get abducted. This is like bubble-wrapping their computer."

The ICAC Task Force also showed a new video called "Survivor Diaries," which focuses on male victims of Internet predators. According to the video, 65 percent of male teenagers have been asked to meet in person with someone they have met online and 39 percent of those who receive such requests never told anyone about it. The video was produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and it will be shown to children across the state.

"This new video is good because it talks to guys, and often the guys are kind of forgotten. Sometimes people think girls are the only ones predators want, but it's not true," Nadauld said.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works to investigate cases dealing with internet predators, child pornography and any other cases dealing with exploitation of children via the Internet, said ICAC director Chris Ahearn. Last year, 71 people were arrested in connection with such cases.

For more information about the Take 25 program, go to www.take25.org. More information about NetSmartz can be found at www.netsmartz.org.

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