About SOLOS Presentations & Workshops Book a Presentation Presentation Resources SOLOS Materials News      SOLOS in the News How You Can Help For Professionals For Parents For Youth Organizations   2008-12-31 Czechs move to stop cyberbullying After some Czech pupils attempted to blackmail teachers by posting video clips of them online, the Czech education ministry is trying to stop cyberbullying by laying down new guidelines for schools. Read the article 2008-12-27 Film-style ratings needed for websites: British minister Britain's culture minister says websites should be rated the way films are to protect children from offensive material. Andy Burnham says his government has plans to discuss the idea of international rules for English-language websites with the administration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. Read the story 2008-12-25 Kids learn social skills online Rather than fear the time young people devote to technological pursuits, there are many reasons for adults to embrace [...] youth engagement with digital media, according to Florida State University’s Lisa Tripp, who was a member of a team of researchers who recently completed the most extensive qualitative study ever done on youth media use in the U.S. Read the article 2008-12-22 Man receives compensation for cyberbullying A Beijing man who was the target of a "virtual lynching" by vigilantes after being blamed for his wife's suicide, has received a payout in China for the cyberbullying. Wang Fei was awarded about 9,000 yuan (about $1,300) after losing his job and being harassed online and at his home. Read the story 2008-12-22 Web sites offer tools to combat cyberbullying Parents worried about cyberbullying and other harmful behavior among children online are getting new help from some of the sites most popular with young people.YouTube and some social-networking sites are making it easier to report abuses such as cyberbullying. Read the story 2008-12-22 Opinion: Criticism of woman's prosecution in cyberbullying case is off base "Last month a Los Angeles jury convicted Lori Drew of three counts of violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act [...] The use of this federal statute to prosecute an egregious case of cyberbullying has been sharply attacked in the press. The criticisms are premised on two totally incorrect assertions..." Another take on the Megan Meier case. Read the opinion 2008-12-17 Reality check: Net perilous for kids "It is hard to say that a person's distorted reality does not affect the normal balance of the modern world. Every day, children log on to the Internet to engage in virtual-reality sites, yet how can a simple child distinguish the line between reality and distortion?" Read the opinion 2008-12-17 Talking to your kids about cyberbullying If your teenager or pre-teen were being harassed or bullied on-line, would he or she tell you? Cyberbullying is a growing problem, as reported in today’s “Work & Family” column. Read the blog post 2008-12-17 US cyberbullying laws do little to deter behaviour, experts say Eighteen U.S. states now have laws targeting internet harassment and cyberstalking, according to the national conference of state legislatures. Legal experts say the long-term impact of cyberbullying laws in America are just beginning to take shape. Read the article 2008-12-16 Cyberbully alert: web sites make it easier to flag trouble Parents worried about cyberbullying and other harmful behavior among children online are getting new help from some of the sites most popular with young people. Read the article 2008-12-15 First-of-its-kind curriculum helps teachers fight cyberbullying Recent research conducted for the National Crime Prevention Council found that 43 percent of teens ages 13 to 18 were victims of cyberbullying in the last year. To address the growing issue, the Qwest Foundation will host top educators from several states to present a first-of-its-kind cyberbullying prevention curriculum. Read the story 2008-12-14 Are Maltese children safe online? A study carried out in the 27 EU member states has revealed that Maltese parents’ awareness of their children’s online activity is below the average in the rest of Europe. Read the story 2008-12-12 Sony settles online privacy case for $1 million Sony BMG Music Entertainment agreed Thursday to settle a Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) case for $1 million, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The suit, filed earlier this week, said that Sony improperly collected, maintained and disclosed personal information from thousands of children under the age of 13. Read the story 2008-12-11 Child porn site back in business A shocking South African website featuring images of local children being sexually abused has resurfaced on the Internet — two days after it was shut down. Read the story 2008-12-11 Group wants Obama to name officer to fight online dangers Online safety advocates are urging President-elect Barack Obama to put more resources toward protecting children from crime, harassment and predators on the Web. Read the story 2008-12-11 YouTube launches 'safety center' From a MySpace-related suicide to hate speech on YouTube, the world of user-generated content has been plagued by plain, old nastiness since its early days. That's why, as part of the Family Online Safety Institute conference in Washington, D.C., YouTube parent company Google has unveiled an "Abuse and Safety" resource guide. Read the story 2008-12-11 Obama urged to create post to protect children online A group which promotes online safety for children urged US president-elect Barack Obama on Thursday to create a post of "National Safety Officer" to protect minors on the Internet. The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) made the recommendation in a report, "Making Wise Choices Online." Read the story 2008-12-10 19 Australians arrested over child pornography Australian detectives have charged 19 men with being part of a global child pornography-sharing network involving 70 countries, police said Thursday. Read the story 2008-12-10 U.S. sues Sony Music over children's online privacy Sony BMG, which is changing its name to Sony Music Entertainment, was sued on Wednesday by the U.S. government, which accused the music company of violating federal rules aimed at protecting the online privacy of children. Read the story 2008-12-10 K-State survey delves into cyberbullying A survey of more than 200 Kansas State University students — mostly freshmen — indicates 54 percent of them believe cyberbullying is a "minor problem" or a "common problem" among students at the university. Read the story 2008-12-09 Government launches blog asking for feedback on plans for web filter Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has launched a blog asking for public feedback amid outrage over plans for a mandatory web filter. Read the story 2008-12-09 Editorial: It's time for a child porn czar With the recent news of the ham-fisted filtering of Wikipedia for over 95 percent of British Internet users by an unelected and unaccountable industry/government hybrid body, it seems like a good time to turn our attention to the issue of the fight against child pornography here in the U.S., and in particular, the freedoms we are willing to hand over along the way. Read the editorial 2008-12-09 Teen sues after suspension for Facebook-hating teacher Katherine Evans, an 18-year-old from Pembroke Pines, Fla., thought her English teacher, Sarah Phelps, was "the worst teacher I've ever met." As any fine, young citizen of the 21st century does, she thought it aloud on Facebook. The principal of Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Peter Bayer, didn't think much of her thoughts. He suspended her for "bullying and cyberbullying harassment towards a staff member.'' Read the story 2008-12-09 Censor lifts UK Wikipedia ban The Internet Watch Foundation has lifted its ban on a Wikipedia page and image of a record album cover showing a young nude girl, in an unprecedented move. The IWF also acknowledged has its initial ban had the reverse effect that it wished — and spread the image further around the net instead of removing it. Read the story 2008-12-09 Booklet aims to tackle cyberbullying Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has today unveiled a booklet that offers advice on dealing with cyberbullying. The Get With IT! A guide to cyberbullying booklet is intended to increase awareness of bullying carried out using the internet, mobile phone or other technological devices. Read the story 2008-12-08 Wikipedia blocks British editors amid censorship flap Wikipedia is blocking tens of thousands of its editors in Britain after the site was blacklisted by a watchdog group for publishing child porn. Over the weekend, the British Internet Watch Foundation placed Wikipedia on its blacklist when the group was told the encyclopedia had published the banned cover of a 1970s Scorpions album, Virgin Killer, featuring a naked prepubescent girl. Read the story 2008-12-04 Cyberbullying verdict turns rule-breakers into criminals They couldn't convict her of being a terrible person, so they had to nail her for impersonating one. That was the sorry end of a landmark cyberbullying trial heard in the United States. Read the story 2008-11-27 Safe fun for wee ones Each year, this space presents a parents guide to video games as the holidays approach. It can be a tricky subject to write about since there are as many theories of good parenting as there are kids, and interactive entertainment, online play and the issues they raise can seem like they are moving at warp speed. Read the guide 2008-11-26 Verdict in MySpace suicide case A 49-year-old Missouri woman who prosecutors say drove a lovestruck 13-year-old girl to suicide by tormenting her with a fake MySpace persona was acquitted on Wednesday of the most serious charges against her. Read the story 2008-11-26 UN: Governments face challenges fighting sex abuse More poor children may be driven into the sex trade as a result of the world financial crisis and a spreading use of the Internet that makes it easier for predators to lure victims, participants said Wednesday at a U.N.-backed conference against child sex abuse. Read the story 2008-11-26 K9 Web Protection: How to keep the kids safe online "Of the various perils that face the intrepid contemporary web explorer, one of the greatest is the one faced by parents: what are their children looking at and who are they communicating with online?" The UK's PC Advisor reviews a new initiative that provides free monitoring and blocking software. Read the review 2008-11-25 Felony charges dropped against teacher in porn/spyware case A Connecticut substitute teacher arrested four years ago for allegedly showing students porn on a classroom computer has been cleared of the felony charges--for now--after experts pointed the finger at spyware. Read the story 2008-11-25 Task force to target online predators Local and federal authorities announced the creation of a regional task force and new public-service announcements yesterday to combat sexual exploitation and crimes against children over the Internet. Read the story 2008-11-24 B.C. teacher sentenced to 6 more years in Thai prison for abusing boy A Thai criminal court has sentenced a former British Columbia teacher to an additional six years in jail after he was found guilty of sexually abusing a second boy. Christopher Paul Neil, 32, was already serving a three-year, three-month prison sentence after pleading guilty in May to abusing a 13-year-old victim. Read the story 2008-11-24 Report: Police examine culpability of those who encouraged suicide Police in Pembroke Pines, Fla., are trying to determine whether those who goaded a Florida 19-year-old to commit suicide bear any responsibility in his death, according to several reports. Read the story 2008-11-24 Justice ministry awaiting feedback on child porn bill The Jamaican Justice Minister says her office is now awaiting feedback from stakeholders to complete drafting of the Child Pornography Prevention Bill. The bill will criminalise the "production and distribution of pornography" involving minors. It may also contain a feature which would make it a criminal act to view or download these types of pornography off the Internet. Read the story 2008-11-24 John Walsh partners with CA, Inc. to help keep America safe online CA, a leading information technology management software company, is taking a stance against cyber crime together with TV personality, crime fighter and child protection advocate, John Walsh of FOX’s “America’s Most Wanted” and the co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Read the press release 2008-11-24 Web suicide watchers tough to prosecute "A teenager lay dying in bed after swallowing a lethal does of narcotics while his suicide attempt is broadcasted to the Web. A group of concerned viewers attempted to intervene by alerting the authorities. Others however prodded the teen to take his own life with messages such as "do it"..." Read the story 2008-11-23 Study shows suspected online abuse Nearly one third of the people who police the content of internet chatrooms and social networking sites have reported a suspected case of online child abuse, a study has found. Twenty eight per cent of internet moderators, who monitor cyber activity on websites like Facebook, Bebo and MySpace social networks, as well as internet chat rooms and online games, said they had seen suspicious activity and passed the information on to the authorities. Read the article 2008-11-22 Cowardice, cruelty in an online world Parents who felt relieved by the study released this week showing that long hours trolling the Internet can actually improve the social skills of teens might also consider the murkier message being delivered now in a Los Angeles courtroom. Read the column 2008-11-21 Sydney man charged with grooming teen A 40-year-old Australian man has been charged after he allegedly groomed an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl for sex over the internet. Police allege that despite being told the girl he was chatting to was 14-years-old, the man was sexually explicit during several online conversations. Read the story 2008-11-21 Online time 'is good for teens' Surfing the internet, playing games and hanging out on social networks are important for teen development, a large study of online use has revealed. The report counters the stereotypical view held by many parents and teachers that such activity is a waste of time. Read the article 2008-11-21 Teen charged in cyberbullying case A 13-year-old student is being charged after creating a fake online profile to bully another student. Const. Wally Henry, media liaison with the Strathcona RCMP, said police did a one-month investigation into the illegal use of Nexopia. Read the story 2008-11-21 Assistant of MySpace hoax mom: 'We decided to be mean' A Missouri woman knew her 13-year-old neighbor was depressed and suicidal when she sent cruel Internet messages to the teenager, her former assistant testified. The girl killed herself after being told the world would be better off without her. Read the story 2008-11-21 RCMP probe B.C. teen for Facebook's ‘kick a ginger' forum The RCMP in British Columbia are investigating the teenage administrator of a Facebook group that urged members to “get them steel toes ready” and kick a redhead. The group – called “National Kick a Ginger Day, are you going to do it?” – had nearly 5,000 members and put schools and the RCMP on heightened alert Thursday to the possibility of redheaded children being assaulted. Read the story 2008-11-20 Report: Teen commits suicide on Justin.tv A 19-year-old man has committed suicide while broadcasting himself on Justin.tv, according to a report at NewTeeVee. The teenager took an overdose of pills while on camera and was apparently encouraged to do so by commentators on Justin.tv and a bodybuilding site, according to the report. Read the story 2008-11-20 Chill out, parents: Time online teaches kids important skills, study finds Hear that clicking sound? It's the wired generation forwarding a new study to their peers and parents that suggests always-online digital kids aren't wasting time and deadening brain cells — they're actually engaged in important work. Read the story 2008-11-20 Dead teen's mom testifies in cyberbullying trial Tina Meier often sat with her daughter while she was online to ensure nothing fishy was happening. Lori Drew wanted to find out what kind of nasty rumors were being spread about her daughter. Read the story 2008-11-20 British man pleads guilty to luring 13-year-old B.C. girl into sex, deported A British man has been expelled from Canada after pleading guilty to trying to lure a 13-year-old Vancouver girl into having sex. The RCMP say 23-year-old Rachata Burasite of Essex was arrested at Vancouver airport last July after admitting he was coming to Canada to see the girl. Read the story 2008-11-19 Study finds teenagers’ Internet socializing isn’t such a bad thing Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation [...] The study, conducted from 2005 to last summer, describes new-media usage but does not measure its effects. Read the article 2008-11-19 Anti-child pornography bill passes 2nd reading in Senate The Philippine Senate on Wednesday afternoon passed on second reading the Anti-child pornography bill. Read the story 2008-11-19 Online social networks, games can be good for kids Rather than wasting their time, children who gab on Facebook or play online games are gaining valuable social skills and learning some technology basics, according to a study released Thursday. Read the article 2008-11-19 Opening arguments set for fatal MySpace hoax case Opening arguments will begin Wednesday in the case of a Missouri woman accused of using an internet social networking site to harass a teenage girl who later committed suicide. Read the story 2008-11-19 Cyberbullies get a free pass: Advocate Internet and telecommunications companies are dodging their responsibilities to help eliminate cyberbullying, according to the man behind this week's national Bullying Awareness Week campaign. Read the article 2008-11-19 Net user saved by lies Being lied to by people seeking romance in Internet chat rooms helped a 49-year-old Edmonton man beat a criminal charge yesterday of luring a 13-year-old boy. Michell Rayal Levigne had been accused of Internet luring following a 2006 undercover police sting operation, however he testified in his own defence that he never actually believed the person he was chatting with was 13. Read the story 2008-11-18 Children watching 'illicit' content on online TV The [UK] research warns of the need to make parents understand what their children are watching online... One teenager said: "Well, my mum and dad don't let me watch Eastenders, and on the internet you can view it without them knowing." Read the article 2008-11-18 Parents talk to their kids about safety online "Most parents, (77%) reported having a conversation with their children about online safety, but a significant number (75%) reported that their child accesses the Internet without supervision. " Read the story 2008-11-18 How dangerous are networking sites? "But for all those people for whom networking sites are a harmless time-waster, there are, as in all parts of society, some who use it for more malicious purposes. For 13-year-old Megan Meier, the bullying she received through MySpace, which she believed was coming from a boy in the neighbourhood, appears to have driven her to take her own life..." Read the article 2008-11-18 Kayte inside the school gate BullyBusters is out and about all this week enforcing the same message and supporting the government guidance that addresses bullying relating to racism, religion and culture, homophobia, SEN and disability and cyberbullying. Read the story 2008-11-15 Online age verification for children brings privacy worries When it comes to protecting children on the Internet and keeping them safe from predators, law enforcement officials have vocally advocated one approach in particular [...] But performing so-called age verification for children is fraught with challenges. Read the article 2008-11-14 Making the Internet safe for kids, one vid at a time When you first look at it, KidZui seems a bit like a kiddified Flock, a Web browser with social networking rolled in. Children using Windows or Macs can find their favorite YouTube videos, rate content using tags, and share opinions, all from a colorful interface with big buttons and clear, clean labeling. Read the review 2008-11-14 ITU launches initiative to protect children online ITU (International Telecommunication Union) launched a new initiative today to safeguard children, the most vulnerable users of the Internet. Addressing ITU’s high-level meeting on cybersecurity by video message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “We have to protect against cyberthreats, especially when they target children..." Read the story 2008-11-14 Dozens charged with trading child porn More than three dozen people suspected of trading in child pornography were charged Thursday as part of a six-month-long investigation billed as the largest of its kind in the state [of Ohio]. Read the story 2008-11-14 Brandon's father calls for understanding of online world Holding back tears, Brandon Crisp's father spoke yesterday for the first time since his son's body was found last week, pleading with parents to better understand their children's involvement in the online world. Read the story 2008-11-14 Liability for cyberbullying outside playground gates "Cyberbullying is the latest incarnation of the age-old problem, and it is in a form that may be even harder for schools to tackle than "ordinary" bullying has ever been. It is the same continued intimidation of a target, but via the ever increasing range of communication technologies..." Read the article 2008-11-12 Brazil Congress approves tougher child-porn law Brazilian lawmakers have approved a measure toughening prison terms for people convicted on Internet child-pornography charges. The law would increase from four to eight years the sentences for those found guilty of producing, publishing or receiving sexual images of minors online. Read the story 2008-11-11 Security made easy -- unique new system to keep computers, Internet safe Windstream Security Suite offers discounts, makes it easier to block spyware and stop viruses, and also filters offensive content, pictures, and Web sites so you can keep your children safe when online. You can also see what sites your children have been visiting or trying to visit. Read the press release 2008-11-11 Safe-school talks center on gangs "Besides gang awareness, about 750 teachers and administrators attending the conference also heard information about crisis management planning, drug education, youth suicide prevention, physical fitness activities and issues dealing with the Internet [...] Cyberbullying and Internet predators were of particular concern to officials..." Read the story 2008-11-11 Precious Moments celebrates 30th anniversary by targeting new generation of consumers "The Precious Girls Club alleviates moms' concerns about their children's online safety by making it easy for them to participate in their daughter's online activities. Moms will be able to send emails to their daughters' "virtual laptops" in their Precious Girls Club rooms and even reward offline behavior with online charms." Read the press release 2008-11-11 Jury in MySpace cyberbullying trial might not be told of teen's suicide A federal judge in Los Angeles is considering whether to prohibit evidence of a Missouri teen's suicide from being introduced in the trial of a woman charged with creating a MySpace account that was allegedly used to harass the teen. Read the story 2008-11-11 MySpace cyberbullying and suicide case takes a new twist "The suicide of a 13-year-old Missouri girl in a nationally controversial MySpace hoax cannot be mentioned in court, a federal judge said Monday. That stance makes no sense, and the judge now threatens the validity of the entire case..." Read the opinion 2008-11-10 US DoJ unveils new Public Service Announcements, aims to educate about online sexual exploitation The announcements are designed to educate parents about the risks their children face online and to warn potential predators about the lifetime consequences of exploiting children online. Read the press release 2008-11-10 First Amendment groups warn N.J. Attorney General of broad 'cyberbullying' definition Free speech advocates sent a statement of concern to the New Jersey State Attorney General urging caution in a policy initiative to prevent cyberbullying on college campuses statewide. Read the story 2008-11-10 Obama raises hopes for online civility "What happened during the campaign parallels what happens online. Too often, online discourse is not civil [...] we have seen too many "flame wars," in e-mail, on forums and now on social networking sites. People seem to forget that the other people online have the right to be treated respectfully even if they strongly disagree with you..." Read the column 2008-11-09 University lecturer gets £5,000 to study Wii A university lecturer has been given £5,000 to study the health benefits of the Nintendo Wii. Michael Duncan will work with schoolchildren for six weeks to see if the popular games console can improve fitness and tackle obesity. Read the story 2008-11-07 "Sexting" and the fight to protect teens No longer do teens communicate by talking. As one 13-year-old puts it: "It's like all about texting." But the phone typing craze that has captured a nation, adolescents included, has some teenagers venturing into illegal territory without even knowing it. Read the story 2008-11-07 Father appeals to students to stop cyberbullying "John Halligan of Essex Junction was the keynote speaker at the conference, and he knows just how tragic the results of cyberbullying can be. His 13-year-old son killed himself after being bullied online. Halligan told the assembled students that it was up to them to stop cyberbullying." Read the story 2008-11-06 Craigslist to crack down on prostitution ads Forty states have reached an agreement with the website Craigslist to crack down on ads for prostitution, Connecticut Attorney-General Richard Blumenthal said Thursday. Read the story 2008-11-05 Body found by hunters believed to be missing teen in video-game dispute Tragically, it's looking like a sad ending to the story of a missing Ontario teenager who ran away from home after a dispute over a video game. Read the story 2008-11-05 Sexual predators luring children online Over the last six years, there are 20 million more children surfing the web. With this increase, State Police say sexual predators are on the hunt and your child is more at risk now than ever before. They are out there, sexual predators, looking for young children. Read the story 2008-11-05 Let’s rethink how we protect our kids online "Paterson believes, as do I, that we need to be able to talk to our children openly about the kinds of images they might see or the words they might read on a computer screen. She says that parental discomfort over talking about certain issues, such as sex, contributes to the problem..." Read the column 2008-11-05 Bullies in cyberspace "Once confined to playgrounds, bullying has hit cyberspace, cell phones and pagers, and it's both serious and sophisticated. So what should a parent do if their child is cyberbullied?" A handy series of tips for parents. Read the list of tips 2008-11-04 Tool to help fight child porn Technology that has been likened to a "random breath test" for computers and laptops for illicit images or video has captured the interest of law enforcement bodies nationally, including the Australian Federal Police. Read the story 2008-11-04 Online filtering recognises families' concerns There has been much backlash against the Australian Government for their attempt at making the internet safer for Australians. There has been much necessary talk of technological difficulties and also a large amount of discussion regarding censorship. Read the opinion 2008-11-04 Kayte inside the school gate Bullybusters has noticed a massive increase in young people accessing advice and support from our website. On average, we receive 300 visits per day and around 75 emails a month from young people needing our advice around bullying. The majority of the emails are about cyberbullying. Read the story 2008-11-03 Swedish banks urged to team up against child pornography The Swedish government and banks unveiled plans Monday to cooperate in freezing payments to criminal organizations engaged in child pornography. Read the story 2008-11-03 Police get new clue in search for Ontario teen For the first time in almost three weeks, police have new evidence in their search for a missing 15-year-old Ontario boy. A second person has reported seeing Brandon Crisp on a trail between Barrie and Orillia on Oct. 13, the day he disappeared. Read the story 2008-11-03 New computer to help police tackle child pornography Police in the North who have to spend dozens of hours each week sifting through graphic images of child pornography will be helped in their work by a new computer. Such is the increased workload relating to child pornography that Durham Police has invested thousands of pounds on new computer equipment and software to speed up the task. Read the story 2008-11-02 Parents often last to hear of child's online torment Many parents are blissfully unaware of bullying going on right under their noses. It happens in the home whenever children post threatening messages in chatrooms, post intimate or humiliating pictures of others on websites, and send hate e-mails and text messages. Read the article 2008-11-01 Cyberbullying: What’s Happening to Your Kids Online Parents think about this; how many times a day is your child on the internet? If your child is like most, then a big chunk of his or her social life probably takes place online. But law enforcement wants you to be aware; every time they’re online they could be at risk of something else. Read the story 2008-11-01 Sweden's Queen Silvia wants ban on looking at child porn Sweden's Queen Silvia wants Sweden to follow the example of neighbouring Denmark and Norway and make it illegal to systematically look at child pornography, she said in an interview on Saturday. Read the story 2008-10-31 Bebo kids will value privacy when they see adults do too Excellent, challenging article: "For centuries adults have been deriding young people for their laziness, venality, sexuality, shallowness and lack of moral fibre. Now they've added another item to the classic list of youthful failings: a lack of respect for their own privacy..." Read the article 2008-10-31 Child sex predators use blackmail tactic over internet Children as young as 10 are being blackmailed online by sexual predators who are using a new tactic to groom their victims for child abuse. The victims are blackmailed into handing over intimate details and images of themselves under the predatory tactics. Read the story 2008-10-30 Lecture warns of potential for online dangers Ever wonder what your children were doing online? Or who specifically they are talking to? Dr. Lawrence P. Filippelli, principal of the Scituate Middle School in Rhode Island, presented concerned parents with some answers to those questions, along with ideas, information and suggestions on how to be more active and aware of their children's online activities at a recent lecture at the Dartmouth Middle School. Read the story 2008-10-29 Missing Ont. teen may not be in Canada: police Police searching for an Ontario teenager whose disappearance may be connected to online video games say there is a possibility he is no longer in the country. Brandon Crisp left his Barrie, Ont., home on Oct. 13 after his parents revoked his Xbox privileges... Read the story 2008-10-29 Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship Australia will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government. The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy. The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter. Read the story 2008-10-28 Bullying from behind a computer screen In his new book, “Life Strategies for Dealing With Bullies,” Jay McGraw writes about how and why kids become bullies, and what victims can do to stop harassment. In this excerpt, he discusses a growing trend: “cyberbullying.” Read the article 2008-10-28 Dealing effectively with cyberbullying Bullying is always an emotive subject. It is getting worse according to the latest research conducted by Ofsted, as published in its report, Children on Bullying. One may argue whether this is a question of fact or whether greater publicity means it is talked about more. Read the article 2008-10-28 'One in four children bullied at school' Almost one in four (39 per cent) children aged between ten and 15 have been bullied at school, a new survey has found. The annual Tellus3 survey of children and young people, published on Tuesday by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, found that bullying was a major concern among youngsters. Read the story 2008-10-26 Parents want police to press online data probe for missing youth The parents of an Ontario youth who has been missing for nearly two weeks want police to look for more clues in their son's laptop and Xbox hard drive. "He's out there now with someone he met online" through playing on the console, Steve Crisp said Sunday as he speculated about the whereabouts of his son Brandon, 15. Read the story 2008-10-24 Filtering out the fury: how government tried to gag web censor critics The Federal Government is attempting to silence critics of its controversial plan to censor the internet, which experts say will break the internet while doing little to stop people from accessing illegal material such as child pornography. Internet providers and the government's own tests have found that presently available filters are not capable of adequately distinguishing between legal and illegal content and can degrade internet speeds by up to 86 per cent. Read the article 2008-10-21 EU to take action against "cyberbullying" and "cybergrooming" The third edition of the European Union's Safer Internet Programme will put a stronger focus on targeting cyberbullying and cybergrooming. Next to malicious and illegal content, the new program will also tackle problematic behaviour on the net, said Richard Swetenham of the Information Society and Media Directorate-General at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) in Strasbourg. Read the story 2008-10-15 Polish child porn swoop nets suspects Polish police said on Wednesday they had arrested 61 people in a new nationwide Internet child pornography swoop which had netted 138 suspects last month. Read the story 2008-10-15 eGuardian and Web Wise Kids collaborate to protect children from Internet dangers eGuardian, the only online protection to block predators effectively and make search engines and social networking sites safer for children, today announced a collaboration with Web Wise Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering today's youth to make wise choices online. Read the story 2008-10-15 New Generation study shows internet use by children "Kids are more internet-savvy than ever with daily usage among children under 10 tripling in the last four years, a survey has found. Yet kids aged between 7 and 14 still found time [...] to read newspapers, with an impressive 27 per cent increase since last year, while watching TV and movies and reading magazines remained steady." Read the story 2008-10-15 New ammo in online sex offender battle The new legislation known as the "Kids Act" is aimed at protecting kids on websites like MySpace and Facebook. Sex offenders must register more than their street address. Authorities must have an email address and any instant message screen names. Websites can then cross reference them and keep sex offenders off those social networking sites. Read the story 2008-10-15 Celebrities join Love Our Children USA to STOMP Out Bullying Love Our Children USA announced the launch of its national campaign STOMP Out Bullying. Teen Celebrities Demi Lovato and JoJo are participating in the public service campaign, which includes TV spots, videos, posters, brochures and wristbands. Others celebrities are slated to join the ongoing campaign. Read the press release 2008-10-14 When your kid won’t “Friend” you "I just joined a group called “Moms of Kids Who are Embarrassed They Have a Facebook.” It was founded just a few days ago, and last I checked it had grown to more than 152 members..." A lighthearted look at the digital generational divide. Read the article 2008-10-14 Facebook's safety chief responds to KIDS act Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly has put out a statement to the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act (KIDS), which President George W. Bush signed on Monday along with the Protect Our Children Act. In short: Facebook supports the act and says it will cooperate with it. Read the story 2008-10-14 Web site lets kids report cyberbullying Six Utah schools have started using a Web site that allows students to anonymously report bullies. A Brigham Young University student, Justin Bergener, created the site, which also lets students post information about thefts, drugs and harassment. Read the story 2008-10-13 New laws track child predators online Child predators will be easier to track online because of two new laws President Bush signed Monday. The Protect Our Children Act sets requirements for Internet companies to report incidences of child pornography. Read the story 2008-10-13 Cyberbullying: parents, tech companies join forces to keep kids safe School bullies have gone hi-tech in recent years in their efforts to ruin the social lives of their fellow students — but now technology companies are coming to the aid of those victims, trying to help parents fight off a scourge of cyberbullying as the school year gets underway. Read the story 2008-10-11 Online child sexual abuse a 'crime scene' Internet images of children being sexually abused are crime scenes, not just pornography, and require a greater global policing effort, a conference in Dublin has heard. Senior gardaí and international police experts in child protection told the annual Cari (Children at Risk in Ireland) conference that the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse of children online needs to be taken more seriously. Read the story 2008-10-10 Teen charged with sending nude pics of herself "A 15-year-old Ohio girl faces felony charges and may have to register as a sex offender for allegedly taking nude photos of herself and sending them to her high school classmates." A 15-year-old child pornographer? This article discusses the pitfalls and consequences surrounding this issue. Read the article 2008-10-03 Web Wise Kids applauds congressional passage of child online safety legislation Web Wise Kids -- a national organization in the U.S dedicated to online protection -- applauds Congress for passing legislation that takes a positive step forward in promoting youth online safety. Read the story 2008-10-03 Bullying of teenagers online is common, UCLA psychologists report Nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period, and only one in 10 reported such cyber-bullying to parents or other adults, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists. Read the story 2008-10-03 Cyberbullying: new phenomenon or the playground gone online? As kids have started pursuing more of their social lives online, their parents have become increasingly concerned that they are taking their bad habits with them. But the anonymity and lack of direct consequences facilitated by the online world has raised concerns that cyberbullying may be a completely distinct phenomenon from its real-world counterpart. Read the article 2008-10-03 Parents often unaware of cyber-bullying Research indicates that as many as 75 percent of teens have been bullied online, but only one in 10 have reported the problem to parents or other adults, a new study shows. Read the post 2008-10-02 Parental influence and teens' attitude toward online privacy protection This study examines the impact of parental influence on teens' attitude toward privacy protection. Survey data show that teens high in concept oriented family communication tend to engage in discussion mediation, which, in turn, affects their level of privacy concern. Read the study 2008-10-01 Spain: Police arrest 121 people in child pornography ring The police have arrested 121 people in a crackdown on child pornography, seizing computer disks containing millions of video and photo files shared by a network that distributed the images to people in 75 countries, officials said Wednesday. Read the story 2008-10-01 Irish hotline helps close child pornography websites A complaint by an Irish person to an internet hotline in Ireland has resulted in the removal of a network of child pornography websites in Australia. The anonymous complaint was made to Hotline.ie, a service established by Irish internet service providers to allow members of the public to report websites that contain child sexual abuse material. Read the story 2008-10-01 KidZui and Parents.com partner to promote safe online discovery for children "Designed for kids age 3-12, KidZui is a revolutionary new free browser and online service that offers children access to more than 800,000 kid-friendly Web sites, videos and pictures -- reviewed by trained parents and teachers..." Read the press release 2008-10-01 New online watchdog launched to protect children A new internet watchdog has been launched to protect children from harmful web content. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together social networking sites and technology firms and aims to teach children about web dangers, target harmful net content and establish a code of conduct for sites featuring material uploaded by users. Read the story 2008-10-01 Live online: attack of the cyberbully It used to be that boys were the typical school yard bully, but no longer. National University educator and former junior high school principal Wayne Reid, said more girls than ever are involved in harassing and intimidating behavior, but their bullying is done electronically. Read the story 2008-10-01 Cyberbullying dissected An interview with Shaheen Shariff, author of Cyber-bullying: Issues and Solutions for the School, the Classroom and the Home (Routledge, 2008). Read the interview 2008-09-30 Cyberbullying taunting, harassing, even threatening classmates is actually easier online "Somehow, it got around that the DuPage County seventh-grader had given a lap dance to another girl's boyfriend. The false rumor got back to the girlfriend, who confronted her fellow student a few months ago, asking her to go online that night to talk about it - and declining to talk about it in person then and there. Later, behind the safety of her computer screen, the classmate called the girl a 'skanky boyfriend stealer.'..." Read the article 2008-09-29 Brown: keep kids safe online British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed a "path-breaking" new organisation designed to protect children online. Speaking at the launch of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, Mr Brown said the day marked an "important landmark" in the battle to keep young people safe when using the internet. Read the story 2008-09-29 EU Commissioner speaks her mind about the increasing importance of social networking The following is a speech made by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media about "Social Networking in Europe: success and challenges", at the Safer Internet Forum in Luxembourg, on 26th September 2008. Read the speech 2008-09-29 Results of online bullying deadly Joshua Melo's life was tragically short, but his legacy is one of awareness and prevention. It's been almost four years since the Strathroy-area teen hanged himself after he'd been bullied at school and online. Joshua, 15, was a victim of cyberbullying -- a word that wasn't part of the lexicon when he died, but a problem now recognized as a disturbing trend. Read the article 2008-09-29 UK child internet safety council launches Today sees the launch of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, bringing together over 100 organizations to protect kids online. It’s no secret that the online world can be a dangerous place for kids. But the UK Council for Child Internet Safety is attempting to make it a safer, friendlier place from its launch today. Read the story 2008-09-27 Keeping kids confined indoors makes them more prone to online predators "According to the study by co-author Dr Leslie Haddon, of the EU Kids Online project, worried parents, in order to safeguard their children against street dangers, are exposing their kids to dangerous online situations at home." Read the story 2008-09-27 New cybersafety program touted A new Internet safety program that would help keep children from being exposed to sexually explicit material and predators will be available soon to area schools, churches and youth groups. Read the story 2008-09-27 Computer-smart kids are easy pickings for online predators "A 12-year-old girl finds a 'friend' online -- who turns out to be a man looking to meet her for sex. A photograph of a partially naked girl finds its way on to social networking sites, text messages and even a pornography web page. A teen is targeted by Internet bullies, taunted and humiliated by rumours and false information on websites and e-mails, and takes his own life..." Read the article 2008-09-26 Congress takes up online threats to children Amid an economic crisis, the United States Congress found some time this week to address online threats to children, including child pornography and prescription drugs. Read the story 2008-09-26 Congress sending child porn bills to president Congress is sending President Bush several bills that would tighten laws on child pornographers' use of the Internet. Read the story 2008-09-26 UK children 'at risk on internet' UK children are more at risk from web dangers than those from other European countries, a study has found. Almost one in four British youngsters has received unwanted sexual comments online compared to one in 10 in Ireland and Germany, the report said. Read the story 2008-09-25 Glubble: The nannybrowser The family "social network" and browser, Glubble, went into open beta today. The Glubble.com service is a home page for families. On it, parents and kids can leave each other messages, coordinate calendars, and share photos. The Glubble Firefox extension converts the browser into a locked-down system that monitors which sites the user views and where he or she searches, and that can only visit sites that are on the parents' approved list. Read the story 2008-09-24 Google Street View a child safety threat? Larry Magid: "As if the TV series "To Catch a Predator" didn't create enough paranoia, now there's a campaign to protect our children against predators who use Google Street View. I admit, there may be some privacy concerns resulting from Google taking pictures of homes and businesses around the country. But StopInternetPredators.org's campaign to highlight child safety concerns over Google's Street View strikes me as absurd..." Read the opinion 2008-09-24 Help line in the works for cyberbullying victims A grassroots organization is working on a help line to support kids dealing with cyberbullying and other online issues, particularly on social networks. Parry Aftab, the director of the national advocacy group WiredSafety, said her organization had started working on a pilot project to support cyber-bullying targets in West Chester County, New York. Read the story 2008-09-24 MySpace, Facebook show tools to ward off child predators MySpace is using technology to analyze whether potential users trying to sign up for the social network may be registered sex offenders, the company's chief security officer said Wednesday. Read the story 2008-09-24 State attorneys general push online child safety snake oil Attorneys general from a number of states have given their support to a collection of weak and ineffective age verification technologies, all of which aim to protect children on the Internet. At a meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force at Harvard University on Tuesday, the consensus seemed to be that while none of the technologies actually work, doing anything at all was better than nothing. Read the comment 2008-09-19 Mom accused in MySpace cyberbullying case leaving town with family Lori Drew will soon leave the neighborhood where she was accused of cyberbullying Megan Meier. Closing on the sale of the home on Waterford Crystal Drive was Thursday, Drew said. Drew, 49, would not say to where she and her family are moving. Read the story 2008-09-18 Cyberbullying vs. free speech "The case of Megan Meier screams out for justice. But to be truly served, justice must based on rationality, not just revenge and emotion [...] We need to be careful to draw the line between harmful harassment and constitutionally protected speech..." Read the article 2008-09-18 Cyberbullying is a growing menace to kids "There are solutions online. Many social-networking sites forbid abusive language. If bullying is reported, the perpetrator's account can be shut down. Parents can also install spy software to monitor their kids' messages. There's even a service that promises to search out and destroy hurtful comments..." Read the story 2008-09-17 Internet safety: New law requires schools to teach kids about dangers "Several metro-east school administrators agree that the more information students get about Internet safety, the better. Now the state has signed onto the notion of teaching Internet safety with a new law that will require school districts to incorporate it into their regular curriculums." Read the story 2008-09-17 Video games are good for kids (seriously) Pew Internet & American Life Project has found nearly all American teens--97 percent--ages 12-17 play computer, Web, console, or mobile games. Teens are also playing these games with relative frequency and duration [...] In a surprise twist, the study has found that video games are actually beneficial to teens. Read the analysis 2008-09-16 Telstra launches social network for kids SuperClubsPLUS is being touted as a 'completely safe' social network for kids, mixing fun and education in a protected online community. The community is aimed at children between six and 12, and is accessible only to students and teachers at Australian primary schools. Read the story 2008-09-16 Study: Teen video game play closes digital divide Forget differences in race, income or ethnicity--virtually all American teens play video games. That's the verdict of a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that renders the digital divide almost nonexistent when it comes to video games, including computer, console and mobile games. Read the article 2008-09-16 Harvard professor sees answers to nagging Web-youth issues John Palfrey, one of Harvard's leading thinkers on the Internet, has recently finished a study on kids raised in the digital age. He now has a few tips to share about Web porn, online piracy, and Sen. John McCain's lack of tech know-how. (Includes video -- highly recommended.) Read (and view) interview 2008-09-15 New tech guide helps parents tackle cyber bullying and Net nasties A new technology guide provides information on social networking sites for children, cyber bullying and what to do about it, and how to best use the Internet. Read the story 2008-09-15 Children have online privacy rights, too With the popularity and accessibility of the Internet, so many children today are as much at risk of being taken advantage of as adults. The primary goal of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act rule is to give parents control over what information is collected from their children online, and how such information may be used. Read the story 2008-09-15 Don't let children receive email messages from Gmail "Anyone interested in sending threatening email messages or perhaps inappropriate messages to children, can hide behind Gmail. If I was the parent of a small child, I wouldn't want them to receive any email from Gmail. Period." Read the article 2008-09-15 How to stop cyber-bullying Kids can be mean. It's a fact of life we've all experienced. Gone are the days, however, when avoiding a bully meant ducking out of the back door at school. Thanks to personal computers, cellphones and instant messaging, it's now easier than ever for children to attack each other, often anonymously. Read the article 2008-09-15 What your kids are watching on YouTube "Well, parents, with a heavy heart I must tell you that I know what your kids are watching on YouTube. It's not pretty, and no amount of Net Nannying can keep it out of your house. Mothers, fathers, guardians, let me introduce you to Fred..." A lighthearted look at kids and digital culture. Read the story 2008-09-15 Six things parents need to know about cyberbullying "The Internet has changed the playground bully into the in-my-bedroom-bully. It’s true; the line between school life and home life is gone. Kids can no longer leave the social pressures, cliques, bullies, snootiness and the other highlights of adolescence at school." Read the article 2008-09-11 Social networking's baby boom A whole host of new social networking sites are springing up, but they're not aimed at teens or young adults, instead they are targeting newborns, tots and their eager parents. According to the New York Times, these Facebook equivalents for toddlers and their parents are carving a real niche in social networking and creating a buzz. Read the article 2008-09-10 School bullies go high-tech What do you do when your child is a victim of “cyberbullying” — a modern form of bullying and intimidation that takes place over the Internet? One parent in the county is considering trying to use a little-known process called a “private prosecution” in order to free her child from an incessant round of cyberbullying. Read the article 2008-09-10 Play safe online The Bulgarian State Agency for Information Technology and Communication (SAITC) will hold a forum and a round table discussion on computer games and safety of children online on September 12, a SAITC media statement said. Read the announcement 2008-09-09 Anti child pornography site launched in South Africa South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has launched an anti-child pornography website and has urged all citizens to report incidents and provide tip-offs anonymously to check the menace. Read the story 2008-09-09 Key information for protecting children online "With more children becoming Internet savvy at a younger age and being exposed to online peer pressure, parents should take an active role in helping their children stay safe while they surf. To protect their kids, parents should:..." Read these tips 2008-09-09 Yoursphere is the social networking destination just for youth Announcing the launch of Yoursphere, the premium, youth-only social networking service where members receive recognition and rewards by participating in an exclusive community. Yoursphere uses an innovative combination of best-of-class technology to provide a destination that fosters youth aspirations and individuality through supportive peer-to-peer social circles (chats, blogs, etc.), unique educational opportunities and scholarship programs. Read the press release 2008-09-09 Police walk new beat in city's high schools "Killops said assault calls were among the most frequent calls he responded to during his pilot project assignment, but he also encountered a growing number of cyberbullying cases, in which the Internet is used to target victims. Const. Lisa Gallant, one of Windsor's three new high school resource officers, has designed a program on cyberbullying which is used across the country." Read the story 2008-09-08 CyberPatrol offers "Go Back-to-School Safely" tips As children return to school, their lives are more entwined than ever before with electronic devices and the Internet. They use them to learn, communicate and entertain. While these devices and web sites have opened new vistas of opportunity, they have also exposed children to new risks. Read the announcement 2008-09-08 Microsoft pushes digital IDs for kids online A Microsoft white paper is suggesting that children get digital identity cards to verify their age and better protect them online. But not everyone is convinced it's the right approach, some commentators going as far as to suggest it may actually endanger children more. Read the story 2008-09-08 Help for parents of tech-savvy kids Help is at hand for parents who want to keep pace with their tech-savvy children when it comes to understanding new technology in schools and in the home. Parents of NSW [New South Wales] school students will be sent "Click", the NSW government's Technology Guide for Parents. Read the story 2008-09-08 Cyberbullying: new school year, new threats A new educational year is taking shape, and one issue that is challenging schools across Canada is the dramatic growth and impact of information and communication technologies. All students, teachers and staff have the right to feel and be safe, but cyberbullying and harassment are becoming widespread, from the elementary level to universities. Read the opinion 2008-09-07 GardenParty enters open Beta "GardenParty, an online world for kids aged 5-11 is entering into its Public Beta phase [...] Safety of children online is often a huge concern to parents, and GardenParty prides itself on the lengths it has and will go to, to ensure children remain safe whilst they play online..." Read the announcement 2008-09-07 Creating iLANDS of safety for kids online In this free online conference (“Webinar”), participants will experience first hand what makes iLAND5.com a true solution to keeping children ages 5-18 safe on the internet to do all the things they need and enjoy. Read the announcement 2008-09-06 Japan joins in international crackdown on child pornography on Internet Investigative authorities in Japan, United States and 72 other countries recently launched a joint international crackdown on child pornography video providers that use file-exchange software to distribute the images on the Internet, it has been learned. Read the story 2008-09-05 Knives being sold online to UK children Potentially lethal knives can be easily bought online by children, according to research by Staffordshire trading standards officers. A test purchasing operation in the county resulted in four knives being sold to a 14-year-old using his own visa debit card via an office computer. Read the story 2008-09-05 Parents get free online safety tools from Verizon Verizon is offering its broadband customers access to free parental controls. The company is also providing tips and tools for parents on how to protect their children when they're online. Read the story 2008-09-04 Teliasonera launches service that prevents distribution of material depicting child sexual abuse In an effort to prevent the spreading of material containing child sexual abuse over the internet, TeliaSonera international Carrier today launched a free service allowing operators and Internet Service Providers the ability to deny their users access to web sites containing this type of material. Read the press release 2008-09-04 Mr. Met will shield your children from online predators "Watch out evildoers, Mr. Met is now savvy to the ways of the Interwebs. He is ready to kick some serious online predator ass. The Mets are having their Internet Safety Day on Saturday, and there are plenty of fun Internet safety activities planned." Read the story 2008-09-04 Take that, big bully. "They don't have to say a word. They don't even have to be in the same room. Bullies can appear anytime, anywhere -- and do any number of hurtful things. And when they do, it takes a toll." A good article about cyberbullying. Read the article 2008-09-03 Swiss police intercept child pornography ring Swiss police have broken up an online child pornography ring operating in at least four countries. The online forum is said to have been mainly frequented by users from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein, while one other person has been arrested abroad. Read the story 2008-09-03 Microsoft proposes age-limited digital playgrounds Microsoft has an idea for keeping children safe online: create "digital playgrounds," sites where visitors have to prove their age using digital identity credentials. Read the story 2008-09-03 Facebook to test Web safety icon Facebook, the popular social-networking web site that agreed to step up user protections following talks with 48 U.S. attorneys general this spring, has become the largest site to display an icon designed to make cyber abuses easier to report. Read the story 2008-09-03 The hidden offenders Many pedophiles claim their crime is restricted to 'only' viewing internet images. But new research shatters that myth. Read the article 2008-09-02 Parents must protect their kids on the Internet "As summer winds down and kids go back to school, there are several concerns on parents’ minds. Too often, parents overlook a threat on the Internet. The Internet is a great tool, but there are dangers online — cyber bullies, child predators, identity thieves, spam, viruses, phishing scams and concerns about privacy..." Read the comment 2008-09-02 Online dangers to kids go beyond inappropriate web-site content Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, and Common Sense Media, a leading nonprofit organization working to improve the impact of media on kids, announced today a partnership that will help parents, educators and youth better understand how to get the most out of the Web’s potential to inspire creativity, collaboration, and learning, as well as raise awareness on Internet security issues such as cybercrime, identity theft, spam, spyware and adware. Read the article 2008-09-02 CyberPatrol and LOOKBOTHWAYS partner to produce Internet safety video podcasts CyberPatrol the award-winning web filtering company, today announced an agreement with Internet Safety and technology expert and author Linda Criddle, President of LOOKBOTHWAYS, Inc., a corporation that provides consulting to state and national governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations committed to promoting online safety. Read the press release 2008-09-02 TVO to host program TVO’s program Your Voice will be hosting a live program related to cyber bullying with a local connection. Robert Frenette, anti-bullying activist, and Bathurst High School 2008 graduate, will be a member of this National Discussion Panel. Read the story 2008-09-02 Local couple create anti-cyberbullying software When cars started going faster, seat belts and airbags were invented. Likewise, safety measures are needed as communication systems speed up. That's the way Murrieta couple John and Niki Vandenburgh, explain how their CyberBully Alert software helps protect tech-savvy kids. Read the story 2008-09-02 Cyberbullying policy raises free speech concerns School district administrators soon will draft regulations governing how to enforce a recently approved policy prohibiting cyberbullying. In doing so, they will have to navigate between a desire to curb digital harassment and protection for students' free-speech rights. Read the article 2008-09-01 How to spot a bully problem "Robert Frenette, a 19-year-old New Brunswick student, has suffered years of abuse...Not only has he been hurt physically, but the bullies also abused him both verbally and electronically -- in the form of cyberbullying, in which bullying takes the forms of abusive instant messaging, e-mails and text messages..." Read the story 2008-08-31 The Ophelia Project begins pilot project addressing cyberbullying The Ophelia Project will launch a pilot project that addresses cyberbullying at three Erie County schools during September. This pilot project, developed by cyberbullying consultant Erika Dauber and Ophelia staff, will raise awareness about cyberbullying and provide teachers and students with practical strategies and tools to address it. Read the press release 2008-08-25 Police warn parents about video game system predators Edmonton police are warning parents that child predators are using video game consoles to lure children when the kids are playing games online. Patrycia Chalupczynska, a public information officer with the Edmonton police, said the systems such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox allow children to connect to the Internet and play games online with strangers. Read the story 2008-08-20 United Online, other ISPs sign child porn accord Woodland Hills' United Online is among a group of Internet service providers that have signed an agreement by the New York Attorney General's office to rid their servers of child pornography Web sites. Read the story 2008-08-20 Pornography linked to music download site Limewire Children and teens are being unwittingly exposed to pornography, including graphic child porn, by using a hugely popular software program that downloads music and videos. Read the story 2008-08-20 AT&T and leading child safety organizations take online safety to the classroom AT&T today announced it is returning to the classroom through online safety education developed by the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) and presented by Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) officers. Read the story 2008-08-20 Keep your child safe on the internet - dangerous sexual predators are online "The internet is great and it offers great opportunities but at the same time it poses a great threat as well. With ever increasing amounts of materials on the net like websites, images, videos and activities such as chatting, searching etc dealings on the net carefully is crucial, but how can parents help children be safe on the net?" Read the editorial 2008-08-19 Global reach of pedophile mastermind Philip Thompson "A global investigation into internet child abuse has led to 50 arrests in Britain with dozens more expected, police said yesterday." More details on the previous story about a global child porn sting, including a video report. Watch the report 2008-08-18 Internet pedophile 'librarian' given indefinite jail term A pedophile who acted as a "librarian" for a global internet child abuse ring was handed an indefinite jail term today after one of the biggest undercover police investigations into online child abuse. Philip Thompson collected nearly 250,000 indecent pictures of children as part of a global ring that reached 33 countries. Read the story 2008-08-15 B.C. teacher sentenced to 3 years for sexual abuse of Thai boy A British Columbia teacher who admitted he sexually abused a 13-year-old boy in Thailand and photographed the offence was sentenced Friday to three years and three months in a Thai prison. Read the story 2008-08-15 MySpace parent company joins Family Online Safety Institute Fox Interactive Media, the News Corp. subsidiary that owns social sites MySpace and Photobucket, has signed on as the latest member of the Family Online Safety Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to "identifying and promoting best practice, tools and methods in the field of online safety, that also respect free expression." Read the story 2008-08-15 Keeping your children safe online A quick and easy list of handy tips for parents to help them keep their children safe online. Read the tips 2008-08-15 MySpace, other firms team with authorities against online predators "After authorities heard Charles Cathey might have an account on the popular Web site MySpace, they raided the San Antonio sex offender's home, confiscated pornography and walked him outside in handcuffs last month..." Read the story 2008-08-15 Prosecutors defend charges against Lori Drew The U.S. federal government is defending its use of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to prosecute Lori Drew, the O'Fallon woman accused of harassing a teen by creating a fake online identity on MySpace. Read the post 2008-08-14 Wakulla County schools offer iLANDS of safety for kids online SafeWave LLC, creators of iLAND5.com , a new children’s internet safety network, announced today that the Wakulla County school system has taken a proactive role in offering the secure network to their student body. Last year the Wakulla County school system joined the A.G.’s cyber safety program and is now delivering that commitment within the school walls to protect their students on line. Read the announcement 2008-08-14 ASACP Day in San Diego The City of San Diego has proclaimed Monday, August 18th 2008 as Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) Day. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders issued the Proclamation honoring ASACP and its RTA "Restricted To Adults" website label. Read the story 2008-08-14 Lawmakers in California are concerned with the increase of cyberbullying The act of bullying has become easier with the introduction of text messaging and mobile connections in classrooms across the globe. Now, bullies can send short vulgar and threatening messages through a text without teachers or principals ever knowing. Read the article 2008-08-13 Prosecutors: Cyber law applies to suicide case. Federal prosecutors defended their use of a cyber crime statute in the case of a Missouri woman charged with using a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to commit suicide. Read the story 2008-08-13 Govt: Cyberbullying is a new phenomenon, as is social networking A blogger at the WSJ discusses the previous story about the legal wrangling over the MySpace cyberbullying hoax that led to 13-year-old Megan Meier's suicide. Some interesting arguments in the comments section. Read the post 2008-08-13 Girls who blog: Innocent fun or potential danger? "On her blog, 12-year-old Tavi Gevinson posts photos of herself wielding a toilet plunger, posing in a room covered with newsprint and wearing a paint-splattered tutu inspired by Dolce & Gabbana's spring 2008 collection..." Read the article 2008-08-11 California lawmakers consider cyberbullying bill School bullies who use the Internet or text messaging to harass fellow students could be kicked out of school under a bill being considered by the California Legislature. Read the story 2008-08-09 Bullying hits the Internet Dan Florell, an assistant psychology professor at Eastern Kentucky University who does research in the area of technology and cyberbullying: “While it may not be as damaging as traditional bullying in some respects, in some respects it’s even worse because a lot of time children can’t get away from the cyberbullying.” Read the story 2008-08-08 Parents key in protecting children online Despite improved security features designed to help protect children on social networking sites, Internet safety experts say there will always be flaws, and that's why much of the responsibility to protect children falls on parents. Read the story 2008-08-08 Cyberbullying - bullying beyond the schoolyard Teens and tweens have been bullying each other for generations. The bullies of today, however, have the advantage of utilizing technology such as computers, cell phones and other electronic devices to inflict harm on others. Read the story 2008-08-07 Facebook: Children evade social websites' age limits Nearly a quarter of children between the ages of eight and 12 are evading the age restrictions imposed by social networking sites Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, a poll of young people revealed last night. Read the article 2008-08-07 Three in four parents spy on children online "[R]esearch shows parents are taking matters into their own hands with three quarters snooping on their children online. One in four parents admit to secretly logging on to their child’s social networking page, while the same number have also set up their own page to spy on their kids..." Read the article 2008-08-03 The trolls among us "One afternoon in the spring of 2006, for reasons unknown to those who knew him, Mitchell Henderson, a seventh grader from Rochester, Minn., took a .22-caliber rifle down from a shelf in his parents’ bedroom closet and shot himself in the head..." A long, absorbing article. Read the article 2008-07-31 MPs tell internet firms to police 'dark side' of web The internet industry must take more responsibility for protecting young people from the "dark side" of digital content relating to abuse, violence and suicide, according to a committee of MPs in the UK. Read the article 2008-07-25 28 percent pre-teen children have been contacted by strangers online, reveals research A survey conducted by Cox Communications and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children conducted a research over pre-teen children’s behavior on the internet. The survey indicates that kids are revealing more and more information regarding themselves on the internet, which leads to being contacted by strangers very often. Read the story 2008-07-23 High time to give bullies the boot "They are among the most despicable of all human beings – bullies. And staggering odds in their favour have been improved in recent years by a weapon that wasn’t available even a generation ago. The Internet can allow them to follow their victims into their homes." This editorial argues in favour of the Canadian Teachers Federation's call to criminalise cyberbullying. Read the editorial 2008-07-23 Eight ways to handle cyberbullies "Like so many other facets of your kids' lives, bullying has now gone online too. If you think your kids haven't experienced bullying in the digital schoolyard -- think again. Half of all kids have been bullied in cyberspace, and just as many admit to bullying others..." There are some helpful tips in this article. Read the article 2008-07-23 COPA anti-Net porn law: Down but not out "The U.S. Department of Justice has been fighting an extended legal battle since 1998 to enforce a federal law that targets Web sites deemed "harmful to minors." On Tuesday, it lost again [...] Still, it's too early to say that this is the end of COPA." Read the article 2008-07-23 Defense asks for dismissal of MySpace case Defense lawyers for Lori Drew, a Missouri mother who allegedly used a MySpace account to bully a 13-year-old neighbor, filed three electronic court documents Wednesday asking for the case to be dismissed, according to the Washington Post. Read the story 2008-07-22 New York threatens Comcast with anti-porn suit New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has threatened Comcast with legal action if it doesn't fall in line with his quixotic campaign against online child pornography. And the American ISP is set to do exactly what he wants. Read the article 2008-07-22 Severity of online child pornography 'increasing' The number of confirmed reports of child pornography and the severity of the illegal content rose in 2007, according to figures released today by an online reporting service. Read the story 2008-07-22 Net censorship law struck down again A U.S. federal appeals court struck down as unconstitutional a Clinton-era law that would have forced websites with adult material to verify visitors' ages, dealing another blow to the government in a 10-year court battle over net censorship. Read the story 2008-07-22 How safe are your 'tweens' online? Parents are making an effort to talk to their kids about Internet safety, but children are still willing to talk to strangers on IM, post personal information about themselves on social networking sites, or be the target of online bullying, according to a Tuesday study from Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Read the article 2008-07-22 Sexual predators using video games to meet children online Online video games allow kids to pit their skills against other players all over the world. Game systems like Playstation 2 and 3, PSP, X-Box 360, Wii and Nintendo DS offer online versions. But the person playing on the other end could be an adult posing as a child to meet kids for the wrong reasons. Read the story 2008-07-22 Efforts to rein in online fight videos The images played out in shocking detail this spring: a group of Florida teens beating a girl and videotaping it to allegedly post online at YouTube and MySpace. Some of them face felony charges and the possibility of life in prison. Read the article 2008-07-19 Parents must act now to control cyber culture among children The pendulum of opinion on the impact of computers and the Internet on children will always swing. Is the technology good or bad for our kids? Should the State control access or should it be left to parental guidance and “filter” software? Read the editorial 2008-07-19 Surprise! Kids chat online about sex "Almost half the children surveyed admitted they lie to their parents about their online activities, with most using homework as a cover for surfing the net or social networking. Thirty-three percent revealed they would be in trouble if their parents knew what they were really looking at." Read the article 2008-07-18 Cable giants bullied into new child porn censorship deal The major national cable providers are all to sign a troubling yet major censorship deal with a private anti-child porn organization. The deal would give the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) carte blanche power to issue a takedown of any customer's content hosted on a cable provider's servers. Read the opinion 2008-07-18 Children's online activity revealed The gap between parents' knowledge of their children's online activity and reality was revealed by research yesterday. It showed that, while 86 per cent of parents were confident their children did not access anything of which they would disapprove, 27 per cent of children admitted to deliberately looking at adult content websites. Read the article 2008-07-18 Internet predator gets parole less than a year into 9-year sentence A convicted internet predator who victimized two Alberta teens by trying to get them to perform sexual acts on camera has been given day parole after serving less than a year of his nine-year sentence. Read the story 2008-07-17 One in ten children have sexually explicit conversations on the internet, study finds More than one in ten children have had a sexually explicit conversation online, according to a study that details how youngsters spend their time on the internet and their mobile phones. Read the article 2008-07-17 Children need more protection from pedophiles, experts warn Police, governments and industry giants have yet to work out how to target predators in the virtual world, said Jim Gamble, the head of the UK unit dedicated to tackling online pedophiles. Read the article 2008-07-17 Children discuss internet safety Children from around the world are meeting in London to discuss how they can better protect themselves from the dangers posed by the internet. More than 150 teenagers from 19 different countries will attend the five-day conference and voice their opinions to government and industry. Read the story 2008-07-16 Junk food brands still target kids online, says Which? Junk food brands continue to target children online and on mobile despite growing concerns about childhood obesity, a report from Which? has claimed. Social networking, SMS and viral promotions were all cited in the report 'Food Fables - The Second Sitting' as methods used to target children. Read the article 2008-07-16 'World's greatest dad' charged in online child-sex sting A Michigan man wore a T-shirt that said "World's Greatest Dad" when he went to have sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl, officials tell the Detroit Free Press. Read the blog post 2008-07-16 More stringent mobiles, internet rules The Australian communications watchdog has approved a new code of practice for online and mobile service content providers, with a focus on protecting children. Read the story 2008-07-15 Cyberbullying grows bigger and meaner with photos, video "Ricky Alatorre doesn't know which classmate surreptitiously hoisted a cellphone camera and snapped his picture or exactly when it happened. All Ricky, 16, knows is the fuzzy yet distinguishable portrait of him in English class showed up on MySpace, on a page that claimed to be his..." Read the article 2008-07-15 'Cyberbullying' a new public health threat So-called cyberbullying is becoming a serious problem in the age of MySpace and YouTube and is emerging as a public health threat, experts say. The percentage of U.S. youngsters aged 10 to 17 who said they were victims of cyberbullying increased from 6 percent to 9 percent from 2000-05. Read the article 2008-07-15 Cyberbullying plan criticized The backlash continues: The Canadian Teachers' Federation is calling for the criminalization of cyberbullying, but local education insiders say that might be going too far. Read the story 2008-07-14 Conference to examine cyber safety New Zealand's online safety organisation NetSafe will be holding its first international conference on "cybercitizens" in Queenstown later this month. Read the story 2008-07-13 Cyberbullying laws already exist The Canadian Teachers Federation is right in demonstrating concern over the prevalence of cyberbullying, but amending the Criminal Code to specifically address it is not the solution. This is a case of right need, wrong place to turn for help. Read the editorial 2008-07-12 New York pressures more ISPs into child pornography crackdown Bowing to continued pressure from the New York Attorney General, two more big-name American ISPs have shutdown access to dozens of Usenet newsgroups that contain child pornography - and many more that don't. Read the article 2008-07-12 Technology moral panics: but think of the children! "Recently I wrote about a dreadful article in USA Today hyping up the "oh-no-think-of-the-children problem" of predators using console games to seek out kids. This followed similarly bogus news articles hyping up the threats of predators on social networks..." Read the opinion piece 2008-07-12 Push to criminalize cyberbullying gets unanimous support at teachers' meeting Delegates at a meeting of a national teachers' organization have unanimously voted in favour of pushing to make cyberbullying a criminal offence. Read the story 2008-07-11 Internet predator arrested in Bay County An Oregon man has been arrested in Bay County for charges relating to the sexual exploitation of children on the internet [...] This case is an example of how the national internet crimes against children task forces work together to protect children online. Read the story 2008-07-11 Cyberbullying and how it can work for you "Cyberbullying is different from regular bullying. See, bullying is a tried and true tradition that was around when today's grownups were a couple years removed from pooping their own pants. But cyber-bullying? Totally different can of worms. Instead of telling someone they suck, a mean person tells someone they sucks ... on the Internet." An alternate take on cyberbullying. Bring one sense of humour. Read the comment 2008-07-11 Family backs cyberbullying change Criminalising cyberbullying: in which too wide a net can theoretically ensnare people "just saying mean stuff". More reaction to the Canadian teachers who want to see online bullies punished under the Criminal Code. Read the story 2008-07-11 Teachers to attack cyberbullying The Canadian Teachers' Federation should proceed with caution in pursuing its goal of making cyberbullying a crime, advises one expert in the area. Shaheen Shariff, an associate professor in the faculty of education at McGill University and an author on cyberbullying, is pleased the organization has finally developed a policy on the matter, but doesn't think making it a crime will help eliminate it. Read the article 2008-07-11 Bebo party story is fake--lawsuit is not Don't believe everything you read on Bebo. That's the message an angry mother is sending by suing six U.K. newspapers that lifted a story off social-networking site Bebo about her daughter's supposed wild party. Read the story 2008-07-10 Online bullying affects 1 in 3 children A third of all internet-surfing kids will suffer from cyber-bullying and many are leaving themselves vulnerable to identity theft and other online abuse, an e-learning expert says. Dr Martyn Wild, a cyber-safety advocate and honorary professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, is in New Zealand to present free seminars to parents on internet safety for their tech-savvy children. Read the story 2008-07-10 New York attorney general gets AT&T, AOL to block child porn newsgroups Two of the largest U.S. Internet providers have eliminated access to discussion groups that featured child pornography, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. AT&T, the nation's largest Internet service provider, and AOL, the third largest, also agreed to purge their servers of child porn Web sites. Read the story 2008-07-10 Kansas Attorney General unveils internet safety website Attorney General Steve Six has unveiled a new Internet safety website for the state of Kansas. The site "NetSafeKansas.com" is geared towards kids, teens, parents and consumers to increase Internet safety education. By giving Kansans additional knowledge about the threats they face online, Six hopes to prevent internet crime in Kansas. Read the story 2008-07-10 Rules to keep children safe from cyber bullying TelstraClear has joined with an international e-learning expert and cyber safety advocate to launch a program to assist parents in ensuring their children are less vulnerable while online. To play its part in keeping kids safe online TelstraClear has also introduced a new access policy for its ISP customers, filtering access to child sex abuse sites. Read the press release 2008-07-10 Online bullying should be a criminal offence: teachers Cyberbullying is becoming so prevalent in Canadian schools and society it should be made a separate Criminal Code offence, according to a new policy that will be adopted Saturday by the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Read the story 2008-07-09 New website fights child pornography The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has launched the Pro-Child website aimed at eliminating child pornography in South Africa. Through the ‘internet hotline’ the Pro-Child website provides the opportunity for members of the public to report and expose incidences of child sexual abuse images found on the Internet. Read the announcement 2008-07-08 Stranger danger: toddlers & teens, part 1 Part 1 of an in-depth assignment investigating the dangers to children and teens, from online chat rooms to public parks. Includes video. Read the report 2008-07-08 Stranger danger: toddlers & teens, part 2 Part 2 of an in-depth assignment investigating the dangers to children and teens, from online chat rooms to public parks. Includes video. Read the report 2008-07-08 Stranger danger: toddlers & teens, part 3 Part 3 of an in-depth assignment investigating the dangers to children and teens, from online chat rooms to public parks. Includes video. Read the report 2008-07-08 Expert: Cyberbullying On Rise Among Teens Like their verbal counterparts, cyber names are not sticks and stones, but they are hurting many young Internet users, according to a 2007 survey of middle school and high school students. In an Online Bullying and Predators Survey, 28 percent of teens and pre-teens, ages 11 to 19, said that they have been the victim of online bullying, or cyberbullying. Read the story 2008-07-04 Cyberbullying drives expanded mission initiative for Sandi Hammons Charitable Foundation Sandi Hammons, advocate for child abuse legislation and awareness, says internet defamation and cyberbullying is a serious global issue with often far-reaching consequences. The mission of the Sandi Hammons Charitable Foundation is to prevent child abuse through education, legislation, awareness and philanthropy. Read the press release 2008-07-04 Australia praised, pedophile sentenced Australian authorities have been praised in the US after an American pedophile was sentenced to 33 years in prison. The sentence was the latest breakthrough for Australian and US authorities in their joint war on child internet porn. Read the story 2008-07-04 GridClub: Online in-crowd with international appeal It's not just existing classroom skills that the GridClub site seeks to develop: as well as teaching children to negotiate their way through the minefields of mathematics and spelling, the site also introduces children to online safety disciplines. Read the story 2008-07-03 One in five children have bullied someone online Playground bullies are moving online, with one in five children admitting they have tormented someone in cyberspace, a survey has found. Read the story 2008-07-03 Online Child Safety Act targets predators New Hampshire prosecutors will be able to seek extended prison terms for sexual predators who use the Internet under a law Gov. John Lynch signed yesterday. The Online Child Safety Act also toughens penalties for anyone who makes, possesses or distributes child pornography, described as "child sex abuse images" in the new law. Read the story 2008-07-03 Canadian teacher leaders to discuss Cyberbullying policy at Annual meeting in New Brunswick A national policy on cyberbullying and the release of a national public opinion poll on education are two of the topics to be addressed by delegates attending the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) Annual General Meeting (AGM), at the Delta Beauséjour in Moncton, New Brunswick, July 10-12, 2008. Read the press release 2008-06-30 Canadian to learn sentence in August for sexually abusing Thai boy Another follow up on the story of the Canadian teacher convicted of sexually abusing a Thai boy. Read the story 2008-06-30 Leahy: parents must protect kids online "Unfortunately, kids are usually more computer-literate than their parents. I urge parents talk to your children, ask them what's going on on the computer. Tell them the person lurking on the corner is easy to spot, but the person lurking in cyberspace is not always as easy to spot..." Read the story 2008-06-30 Missouri governor signs Internet harassment bill Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt signed a bill Monday outlawing cyberbullying, just miles from where a 13-year-old girl committed suicide nearly two years ago after being harassed on the Internet. Read the story 2008-06-27 Outrage at light kid-porn sentence The first man sentenced as part of Australia's largest online child pornography sting will be free in 12 months despite being previously jailed for child sex offences, raising fresh concerns about lenient child porn sentences. Read the story 2008-06-27 Quebec software identifies child pornography A Quebec software company has come up with a computer programme that helps police identify pedophiles. The BlueBear LES company's software, called LACE, reduces the amount of time investigators have to spend viewing child-pornography. Read the story 2008-06-27 Study: Parents clueless about kids' internet use A recent survey by internet security firm Symantec Corp. suggests that many parents are unaware of their children's internet activity and typically underestimate how often their kids encounter online threats. Read the story 2008-06-27 Parents, monitor the time your child spends online "You must check up on your kids. [...] Just as you wouldn't take your 9-year-old to the mall and leave him there alone for four hours, you shouldn't leave your 9-year-old alone on the Internet for four hours." Read the article 2008-06-27 Dealing with Cyberbullies Each of us has a different tolerance for where our line is at when it comes to being insulted on the internet, however at times it goes beyond that into stalking and harassment now called “cyberbullying” which is a growing problem especially when it comes to teenagers. Read the column 2008-06-27 Volusia schools to crack down on cyberbullying On June 10 the Volusia school district put new rules into place that provide stricter monitoring and harsher penalties for cyberbullying and cyberstalking. The rules were approved the same day that Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill into law prohibiting online bullying. Read the story 2008-06-26 Tips to keep children safe online The chances of being harassed or sexually solicited online increases when young people interact with others via instant messaging and chat rooms. These forums may encourage impulsive and risk-taking behavior. The July 2008 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter describes several risky electronic arenas and offers tips to help keep kids safe. Read the press release 2008-06-26 Author takes on cyberbullying "In her 17th mystery novel, “The Body in the Gallery,” author Katherine Hall Page explores not only murder, but also a relatively new criminal phenomenon affecting school-age children — cyberbullying." Read the article 2008-06-25 7 rules for MySpace parents "As the parent of a teen, I'm coming to the slow and somewhat unpleasant realization that I may have misjudged MySpace..." So begins an article on seven very useful rules. Read the article 2008-06-24 Plan to protect children online unveiled The [UK] government has unveiled an action plan to make the Internet safer for children with a £9m ad campaign promoting "e-safety" and setting up a council on child internet safety. The plan aims to deliver on Dr Tanya Byron's recommendations in her report "safer children in a digital world". Read the story 2008-06-24 Summer vacation spent on the Internet? The school year is ending and kids are getting ready for weeks of sun, relaxation, camps and hanging out - online. From Club Penguin to MySpace, YouTube and the latest next big thing, Ning.com, children will be spending more time online than ever before. Read the article 2008-06-23 New Florida law gives victims of child pornography a voice in court The Exploited Children’s Rights Act, a groundbreaking new law that will provide victims of Florida-based child pornography rights in court proceedings and the ability to sue individuals who download and/or distribute images of the child’s sexual abuse for no less than $150,000 per incident will take effect October 1. Read the story 2008-06-23 Symantec joins the U.S. Senate in reaching out to educate families The U.S. Senate has designated the month of June as National Internet Safety Month to "provide the citizens of the United States with an opportunity to learn more about the dangers of the Internet and the importance of being safe and responsible online." Answering this call, Symantec Corp. urges parents to connect with their families during National Internet Safety Month. Read the press release 2008-06-23 EDPS: data protection is an essential prerequisite to the safety of children online The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) adopted an Opinion on the proposed multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication technologies, which was presented by the European Commission in February 2008. Read the story 2008-06-23 Rhode Island bills target cyberbullying Anyone who resorts to bullying or harassment using e-mails, text messages, or other electronic means could face stiff penalties and even jail time under a pair of bills approved by state lawmakers. Read the story 2008-06-23 Teens txt and IM even fstr than B4 in contest Being all thumbs is the norm for teens and tweens. As they choose instant messaging and text messaging as their preferred form of communication, the youth of America is definitely putting its digits into the digital age. Read the article 2008-06-23 Youths 'buy violent games online' Children are able to illegally buy violent video games through online auction websites, the UK's Trading Standards Institute has said. Read the story 2008-06-21 On the front line in child porn war This very minute, people in New Zealand are downloading child pornography, visiting Irish porn-buster Mick Moran says. Victims were getting younger and younger, with many now aged under 18 months. Read the article 2008-06-20 California pols ask ISPs to block child porn California's governor and attorney general are asking Internet service providers to help stop the dissemination of child pornography. Read the story 2008-06-20 Belgian man, Que. teen planned life together A Belgian man and a smitten 13-year-old girl planned to settle in an Amish community in Ontario where they believed no one would question their 20-year age difference, a courtroom heard Friday. Read the story 2008-06-20 Lancaster boffins aid hunt for sex beasts Computer experts at Lancaster University are helping police track down pedophiles - with a new tool that can help identify perverts hunting children on the internet. Read the story 2008-06-20 Young people and social networking services - not another moral panic A new UK-focussed report published by Childnet International aims to support teachers and lecturers who wish to explore the use of social networking services by young people. In this guest post, Josie Fraser, the report’s author, explains more. Read the post 2008-06-20 Miramichi teens participate in cyberbullying conference in New York Miramichi Valley High School 2008 graduates, Amanda Matchett and Carrie Price, took part in the First International Stop Cyberbullying Conference in New York. They joined a larger group of "Teen Angels" and "Tween Angels" from across North America as teen experts in cybersafety during the two day conference. Read the article 2008-06-19 "Computer illiterate" acquitted on child pornography charges Michael Fiola, who was convicted of possessing child pornography, was cleared of the charges after the computer forensic reports revealed that his laptop was infected with detrimental software that was surreptitiously browsing illegal Web sites. Read the story 2008-06-19 Police officers step out to protect children against ‘cyber-bullying’ Three British police officers have set out to cycle and run the entire length of Britain in order to promote a campaign aimed at highlighting the issue of Internet safety. Read the story 2008-06-19 Cyberbullying - Technology takes torment to a new level Bullies have always been with us. But today’s Internet technology has spawned a 21st century mutation: the cyberbully. Thanks to the massive popularity of social networking Web sites, bullies and gossips can ceaselessly spread their poison to billions of potential recipients via computers and cell phones. Read the article 2008-06-18 Group out front of online child-pornography battle Across the Web, the evil of child pornography spreads like a toxin, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is combating it by providing computer-forensics assistance to law enforcement and working with Internet service providers scooping up megabytes of child-porn data. Read the article 2008-06-18 Totlol, an online video playroom for children A software-developer dad from British Columbia, eager to share the fun of online video with his young children, has single-handedly created a tot-friendly version of YouTube. Read the story 2008-06-18 RIT study: Many middle schoolers commit crimes online Middle schoolers are more likely to be the perpetrators of cyber crime than the victims, a new study by a Rochester Institute of Technology researcher has found. Read the story 2008-06-18 Parents monitoring internet use leads to man's arrest Vigilant parents were a key factor in the arrest of a man charged with luring a child over the internet, Alberta RCMP say. Parents in Airdrie, 30 kilometres north of Calgary, were monitoring their child's internet use when they discovered "concerning" material and called police. Read the story 2008-06-17 Modesty, self-control are virtues young generation lacks Half a decent article about online safety, half a pointless rant tilting at the tired old windmill of "kids today". Didn't Plato already cover this? Read the column 2008-06-17 Death of 13-year-old prompts cyberbullying test case A Missouri woman accused of creating a fictitious character on MySpace to cyberbully a 13-year-old neighbour who then committed suicide pleaded not guilty to federal charges at a Los Angeles court yesterday. The case, say lawyers, could radically affect the way millions of users gain access to the internet. Read the article 2008-06-17 Safest social networking sites for teens and tweens MySpace's staff is good about responding to complaints about inappropriate material and cyberbullying, but Facebook, not so much, said Common Sense Media in a report Tuesday. Read the post 2008-06-16 Man exonerated of child porn charges following malware discovery Prosecutors have dropped child pornography charges against a Massachusetts state employee after an investigation determined that his government-issued laptop was poorly configured and riddled with malicious software. Read the story 2008-06-16 Internet luring a real and present danger Excellent, in-depth and up-to-date article on the original online danger -- Internet luring -- tying it to the recent change in the age of consent law. Read the article 2008-06-15 Children producing their own web porn Children as young as 10 years of age are taking sexually explicit pictures of themselves before uploading them onto the internet -- according to Ireland's leading Criminal Intelligence Officer at Interpol. Read the story 2008-06-15 Bebo cyberbullying blamed for teen’s death Many have heard of Megan Meier, the teenager who committed suicide over a MySpace romance gone bad - one which turned out to be a hoax. Here we have another death linked to social networking. A teenager said to have been bullied on the social networking site Bebo was found after he hung himself in his bedroom. Read the story 2008-06-13 AT&T teams with non-profits to promote online safety AT&T announced that it is teaming up with nonprofit advocacy organizations to promote a safe online experience for consumers during National Internet Safety Month. The company is urging parents to have an eye upon their children's online activity, including wireless devices and computers. Read the story 2008-06-13 Canada's privacy czars warn young surfers to be more careful on the web Canada's privacy watchdogs want young people to be more aware of where their personal information goes when they punch it into websites such as Facebook or MySpace. While subjects such as online predation, cyber stalking and cyber bullying have received a lot of attention, youths are often naive about the commercial interest in the personal information they release online... Read the story 2008-06-10 Net providers to block sites with child sex Verizon, Sprint and Time Warner Cable have agreed to block access to Internet bulletin boards and Web sites nationwide that disseminate child pornography. The move is part of a groundbreaking agreement with the New York attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo. Read the story 2008-06-10 Three ISPs agree to block child porn Read what the über geeks at Slashdot are saying about the previously posted story. There is much concern among the neterati, some of it legitimate. Read the discussion 2008-06-10 Parents, are your children safe from Internet dangers? Thirty-three percent of teens say their parents know little or nothing about what they do online. Forty percent of teens think it's safe to chat with people they don't know. June has been declared National Internet Safety Month to help protect our children. Read the story 2008-06-10 Keeping our technology-savvy kids safe online The long summer days ahead will bring more than bike rides and trips to the neighborhood swimming pool for today’s technology-savvy kids. Many children and teenagers will fill idle time surfing the Internet and logging on to social networking sites to stay connected to their friends. Read the opinion 2008-06-09 Children wary of internet world They have been dubbed "digital natives" by sociologists, but the ease with which many young people use technology has not stopped some from feeling wary about its influence. Read the article 2008-06-09 Study: Tykes, teens outdo adults on Youtube You'd think Disney or the Cartoon Network would lure the most 2- to 11-year-olds scouting for video on the Internet. But the honors actually go to YouTube, with clips of Bugs Bunny, trains, and puppies (mixed in with "Twitter whores" and frat parties). Read the article 2008-06-08 Media groups marketing to children online Top U.S. media groups are stepping up their efforts to market directly to children through interactive Internet environments, industry officials say. Read the story 2008-06-07 First a look, then a touch too far Is the internet encouraging child porn viewers to take their perversity a step further, asks Tom Allard. It's a question that has troubled investigators and psychologists grappling with the explosion of web-enabled sexual crimes against children. Read the article 2008-06-07 A rallying cry against cyberbullying Lawmakers and Internet executives are perking up to the growing problem of kid bully fights on the Web. Legislators are newly arming themselves with laws that will protect kids from being repeatedly harassed via the Internet, text messages, or other electronic devices. Read the article 2008-06-07 Free cyber safety seminar offers strategies for protecting children online Parents will learn how to protect their children from cyber abuse and risks at a free seminar Wednesday, June 18, hosted by Youth Eastside Services (YES). Read the announcement 2008-06-06 Cyberbullying is bigger threat to kids June is Internet Safety Month, designed to increase awareness of stalking and sexual abuse online. But bullying, not sexual abuse, is the biggest risk children face from the Internet, says Parry Aftab, director of WiredSafety.org, a volunteer online safety and education group. Read the opinion 2008-06-06 Time taken to shut child abuse sites criticised Child protection experts have called for greater efforts to patrol child abuse websites after a study revealed that it takes a month on average to take them down from the internet. Read the story 2008-06-06 More charges laid over child porn bust Queensland police in Australia have charged another two men overnight as part of Operation Centurion, a major national child pornography investigation. The latest arrests bring the number of Queenslanders charged to 44. Read the story 2008-06-06 Blunt to sign bill making cyberbullying illegal A measure outlawing cyberbullying is about to become law in Missouri. Gov. Matt Blunt is scheduled to sign the bill Friday afternoon at a library in St. Charles County. The bill signing will occur just a couple of miles from the neighborhood where 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself in 2006 after receiving cruel treatment over the Internet. Read the story 2008-06-05 The perversity of child pornography laws "I doubt many people disagree that children should be protected from sexual exploitation by adults. However, it's apparent that state and federal lawmakers are exploiting their own child pornography laws [...] in order to ensnare innocent (if naive and nubile) kids who've exchanged these explicit photographs consensually." Read the article 2008-06-04 Privacy chiefs seek better online protection for kids Canada's privacy watchdogs are warning young people to protect their personal information online — and they are urging governments to help them. Read the story 2008-06-04 What kids really do online (despite what parents think) US moms and dads estimate their children spend only two hours a month on the internet, but kids say they actually spend 10 times more time — or 20 hours — according to a recent study, the first Norton Online Living Report by Symantec (via MarketingCharts). Read the article 2008-06-03 Protecting our kids online "The Internet is the centerpiece of our Information Age. It brings the world to our fingertips and takes us thousands of miles away at the click of a mouse. It has fundamentally altered research on any topic, and has increased interpersonal communication to a degree unimagined a generation ago..." Read the editorial 2008-06-03 Q&A: WiredSafety’s International Stop Cyberbullying Conference To get an idea of the event and what else is being done to help address the problem of cyberbullying, PressPass spoke with leading Internet privacy and security attorney Parry Aftab, founder and executive director of WiredSafety, along with Microsoft’s Adrienne Hall, senior director of the Trustworthy Computing Group. Read the interview 2008-06-03 Cyberbullying conference fights for online victims Tina Meier, present at the New York City conference, knows there's little she can do about the suicide of her 13-year-old daughter Megan, except embark on a crusade to protect other children. Read the article 2008-06-02 Trial held over for Canadian accused of sexually abusing Thai boy An update on Christopher Neil's trial in Thailand: it began Monday in Bangkok, but was held over until October when the alleged victim is expected to testify. Read the story 2008-06-02 Child porn hotline launched A website aimed at eradicating child porn on the internet was launched in Midrand, South Africa on Monday. A first of its kind in Africa, the website, which was launched by the Film and Publication Board (FPB), affords members of the public the opportunity to report anonymously online, any child pornography that one may have discovered accidentally on the internet. Read the story 2008-06-02 Police failed to identify nearly 1,700 victims of child pornography in '07 Police failed to identify nearly 1,700 victims among the 143 child pornography cases that they uncovered across the country in 2007, a Mainichi Shimbun survey has found. The finding has demonstrated that it is extremely difficult to stop the deluge of child porn, say police officials. Read the story 2008-06-02 Are ads on children's social networking sites harmless child's play or virtual insanity? Social networking websites for children are really taking off – and the advertisers are closing in. Meg Carter reports on developments raising concerns for parents and regulators. Read the article 2008-06-01 Online safety course mandated for school children in Virginia Virginia has become the first state in the U.S. to implement mandatory "Internet safety" courses in its public schools. Other states, including Illinois and Texas, have had similar, optional programs for public school students for some time, but Virginia is the first to mandate them. Read the announcement 2008-06-01 Trial of accused Canadian pedophile set to begin The brother of an accused Canadian pedophile says Christopher Neil is in “good spirits” as his trial for allegedly abusing a nine-year-old boy is about to begin Monday in Thailand. Mr. Neil, a 33-year-old schoolteacher from Maple Ridge, B.C., was arrested in Thailand last October following a worldwide manhunt that began after Interpol unscrambled swirled digital images from the Internet. Read the story 2008-06-01 Stop cyberbullying – an international conference At the world’s first conference dedicated entirely to the issue of cyberbullying, all stakeholders will learn everything they need to know about this digital epidemic and explore solutions. Hosted by the world’s largest and oldest cybersafety group together with Pace University and Westchester County, all aspects of cyberbullying, risk management in schools and best practices in the industry will be explored. Read the outline 2008-06-01 South Africa: Pornography ruining innocence of children More and more pedophiles are using the internet and chat forums to interact and lure children to them wrecking the innocence of children worldwide. Read the article 2008-05-30 Commercials cause concern in the virtual Barbie world Comprehensive article investigating the complexities and potential pitfalls (commercial or sexual exploitation) of online virtual worlds aimed specifically at children. Read the article 2008-05-30 Mom in cyberbullying suicide case launches foundation Tina Meier, the mother of the Missouri teen who committed suicide after being bullied online has launched a foundation to educate kids and parents about cyberbullying and work on legislation to address the growing phenomenon. Read the story 2008-05-29 Teen boy target of outrageous misuse of child pornography laws Vindictive spurned young lover or child pornographer? Teenage boy falls foul of child pornography laws that cast too wide a net, according to this blog post by Criminal Defense Attorney Douglas R. Slain. Read the post 2008-05-29 Trolling for trouble on MySpace: What every parent should know "Their meeting online immediately sparked a steamy e-mail relationship. She said she was 19, and they arranged to meet. When they did, the 28-year-old man asked her for an ID, suspecting she was younger. She couldn't prove her age, but he had sex with her anyway. More than 20 times. It wasn't until the cops showed up on his doorstep Tuesday that he discovered the girl's actual age: 12." Read the story 2008-05-28 Blue Coat joins Family Online Safety Institute to protect kids in the Web 2.0 world Blue Coat Systems, Inc., the leader in WAN Application Delivery and Secure Web Gateway, today announced it has joined the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), an international non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods for online safety as a corporate member. Read the press release 2008-05-28 10 tips for keeping your kids safe on social networks June is Internet Safety month. With hundred of millions of teens, pre-teens—and adults—around the world using social networking sites, there’s no better time for parents to be aware of the fun, the benefits, the powerful attractions, and the potential risks that MySpace, Facebook and other similar sites offer their children. Read the press release 2008-05-28 Middle school staffer cautions parents to supervise Internet use "Parents [...] are too often in the dark about the amount of time their children spend online, the sites they visit, with whom they chat, the personal information they exchange and the bullying or harassing behaviors they may endure or engage in." Read the article 2008-05-26 Are Jamaicans developing a growing appetite for child porn? Jamaicans are developing a taste for seeing children having sex - including the children themselves, according to local psychologists. Read the article 2008-05-25 Dangerous dialogue "As Florida's attorney general, I am deeply disturbed by the increasing number of stories of young people who make plans to meet in person a "friend" they've met online, only to discover that their "friend" is someone who intends to do them great harm..." Read the opinion 2008-05-25 Photos 'in realm of porn' under state laws Artist Bill Henson's controversial photographs would be considered "in the realm of pornography" if they were displayed in Victoria, according to a leading criminal lawyer. Read the article 2008-05-25 Rise of ‘cyberbullying’ gives a high profile to internet attacks "You are looking for a new job and know that employers nowadays check you out on the Internet. So you google yourself to see what an employer might find. To your horror, you find that you are the victim of character assassination..." Read the article 2008-05-24 Pro-Con: Was the Supreme Court’s child-porn ruling reasonable? Finally, Congress has passed a child-pornography law the Supreme Court let stand. In a 7-2 decision handed down Monday, the court rejected the notion that the mere offer to provide such images, whether or not the images actually were delivered, should be protected speech under the First Amendment. Read the opinion 2008-05-23 Task force works to protect children online Authorities with the Northwest Louisiana Internet Crimes Task Force are constantly working to get sexual predators off the Internet and behind bars. Read the article 2008-05-22 You can't fake child porn's harm Which is worst: a person who offers to sell or provide real child pornography, a person who offers to sell or provide fake child pornography, or a person who offers to sell or provide nonexistent child pornography? Read the story 2008-05-22 Computers in schools: How we can help children to look after themselves Dr Tanya Byron, author of a Government review of child safety online, tells Amy McLellan why education is key to getting the best out of technology. Read the article 2008-05-22 Top tips: Safe virtual worlds for children eModeration has launched a new report offering a guide on creating engaging and safe virtual worlds for children. The guide is aimed at companies investing in virtual worlds and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), showing how best to moderate these online environments. Read the story 2008-05-22 Law enforcement puts full-time cop on children's computers It's like having a key to your child's computer, software that allows parents to see their children's email, instant messages, pictures they've downloaded and sites they've visited. Read the story 2008-05-20 Bullying looming problem for kids online, survey suggests More than half of Canadian parents think the Internet is safe for kids, but nearly 20 per cent of children under 13 say they've been bullied online, a survey released today suggests. The result should be an urgent sign to parents they have to pay attention to what their kids do while online. Read the story 2008-05-20 Cyber Detectives protect children online "Cybersmart Detectives teaches children cybersafety messages in a safe environment. Online and interactive, it makes for a powerful and dynamic learning experience." Read the story 2008-05-19 Supreme Court upholds law aimed at child pornography The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 2003 federal law aimed at child pornography. “Child pornography harms and debases the most defenseless of our citizens,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote. “Both the state and federal governments have sought to suppress it for many years, only to find it proliferating through the new medium of the Internet.” Read the story 2008-05-19 Qantas passenger viewed child porn in airport lounge Australian airline Qantas has defended the adequacy of its internet filters after a man accessed child pornography in its Melbourne Airport lounge. Read the story 2008-05-19 MySpace: good, bad and ugly "Today the Times editorializes about the tragic suicide of Megan Meier, allegedly spurred by taunts from an adult using a made-up MySpace persona, and the courts' response to it." The LA Times editorial board discusses the social networking site’s legal woes and political activities. Read the editorial 2008-05-19 MySpace cyberbullying bill passes state Missouri House and Senate Missouri governor Matt Blunt is expected to sign a cyberbullying bill that calls for stiff penalties in the wake of the Megan Meier case. Read the story 2008-05-19 Cyberbullying is a form of child abuse A federal grand jury last week did the right thing when it indicted a woman accused of using a MySpace page to humiliate a 13-year-old neighbor who then killed herself. Read the post 2008-05-19 Criminalizing ToS Violations This well-reasoned blog post questions the precedent set by the recent indictmernt of Lori Drew in the Megan Meier case in terms of criminalizing online ToS (Terms of Service) violations, arguing it's a "very slippery slope." Read the post 2008-05-19 Court: Don't blame MySpace for offline sexual assault MySpace can breathe a little easier. A federal appeals court ruled last week that the News Corp.-owned social network can't be held responsible for the sexual assault of an Austin, Texas, teen by a man she met on the site. Read the article 2008-05-18 Waging war on child porn Child pornography is a multibillion-dollar global industry that devours children and flourishes unfettered on more than 150,000 Web sites (they take all credit cards). Millions of images of the sexual exploitation of children recorded in still photos, videos and movies slate the appetites of at least 670,000 currently identified online predators in the United States alone. Read the article 2008-05-18 Local, national and global efforts track sex offenders who prey on children 'It is 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, a time when Internet chat room traffic is at its lowest. Yet 57 people are logged into a room dedicated to "childslavesex."' -- In a companion piece to the previous entry, this writer takes a look into the murky, disturbing world of those who investigate online predators. Read the story 2008-05-18 Keep cyber sharks at bay As a parent you never hear the end of the various dangers children encounter in cyberspace. But what do you do when your nine-year-old knows more than you do about tech gadgets and the Internet? Read the article 2008-05-16 Senators OK $1 billion for online child porn fight A U.S. Senate panel has unanimously approved a bill that would encourage federal, state, and local police to use and create special software designed to nab child pornography swappers on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. Read the story 2008-05-16 Senators OK $1 billion for online child porn fight Slashdot discusses the previous story. Read the discussion 2008-05-16 Cyberbullying: Torment at the touch of a button RTE’s Prime Time promises to lift the lid on cyber bullying – a frightening and growing trend that can lead to misery and even suicide for its victims. Sue Leonard asks if parents and students need to be worried. Read the report 2008-05-16 Cyberbullying: What to do if it happens to your teen Cyberbullying, using the Internet, cell phones, or another type of communication technology to hurt or embarrass others, is an increasingly common problem among today's youth. Read the press release 2008-05-15 Woman indicted in fatal MySpace hoax on girl A Missouri woman was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbour who committed suicide. Read the story 2008-05-15 Rape victim goes on YouTube to ask for help The ways in which young people interact with new media appears to be in constant, endless flux. Although this is particularly heartwrenching and difficult to watch, one courageous girl is trying to use YouTube in yet another undreamed-of way. Watch the video 2008-05-14 Cellphone child porn on rise Child pornography on cellphones is a growing threat to the youth of South Africa as ever more content of this kind is being made available through this medium, reports placed before Parliament show. Read the story 2008-05-14 New York Governor signs legislation to protect children from Internet predators Governor David A. Paterson was joined today by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith and Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco as he signed legislation designed to protect children who access social networking sites from convicted sex offenders. Read the story 2008-05-14 Making social sites safer "Maggie didn't always feel safe on MySpace. The 17-year-old New Rochelle, N.Y., resident used to receive lewd instant messages from a man who found her on the popular social networking site." Forbes weighs in on the issue. Read the article 2008-05-13 Ofcom defends 9pm watershed Ofcom has dismissed claims by a group of MPs that the 9pm watershed is failing to protect young children because they can now access television online. Read the story 2008-05-13 Trend Micro promotes Internet safety for kids and families Trend Micro, a global leader in Internet content security, has launched a new, worldwide corporate-citizenship initiative to raise awareness among parents, youth, educators and caregivers about the Internet safety and security issues a new generation of "cyber kids" faces today. Read the press release 2008-05-13 Can start-up Wired Trust build a Web 2.0 safety net? A group of Internet safety experts plans to announce next month a new start-up aimed at helping social networks provide safer Web 2.0 environments for kids and adults. Read the post 2008-05-13 Special report: the newest breed of bully, the cyberbully Last year 13-year-old Megan Meir of Missouri committed suicide after being bullied on her MySpace account her case caught the attention of millions about this growing trend. Read the report 2008-05-12 Harvard researchers: Violent video games OK for kids Two Harvard researchers have concluded that there's no data to support the notion that violent video games cause the kids who play them to act out violence in real life, contrary to the vast majority of media outlets that would have the public thinking otherwise. Read the story 2008-05-09 B.C. child prostitutes advertising themselves online Five girls in the care of the B.C. children's ministry have been selling sex on Craigslist, police say. Police said the girls, aged 16 and 17, have been offering their services on the U.S.-based advertising website's "erotic services" section for the Greater Vancouver area. Read the story 2008-05-08 Dive in to Hector's World! Children as young as five years old are the focus of a new online safety programme being launched today, Thursday 8th May 2008, by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. Read the press release 2008-05-08 123 Illinois sex offenders from MySpace discovered on Facebook Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced today that Facebook has agreed to make key changes to its social networking site that will better protect children from predators and inappropriate content. Read the story 2008-05-08 Facebook agrees to protect young customers Following MySpace out of the penalty box of 50 state attorneys general, the social network Facebook is agreeing to a broad set of principles to protect young users from predators and inappropriate material. Read the post 2008-05-08 From 14 to 16: What does raising the age of consent accomplish? The Criminal Code of Canada was amended last week to raise the age of consent to 16 from 14. Here is a dissenting opinion, well worth a read whether you agree with its conclusions or not. Read the opinion 2008-05-08 New bill: No ID, no 'mature' video games for you A new bill in the U.S. Congress would force retailers to card kids attempting to buy video games bearing "mature" or "adults only" ratings. Saving kids from themselves, or just more ill-informed politicians jumping on an issue du jour? Read the story 2008-05-08 Cartoon policeman and dolphin to warn children about online pedophiles Child abuse experts are targeting children as young as five for the first time to teach them about the dangers of online pedophiles. Read the story 2008-05-08 McNamara tackles technology with 'cyberbully' bill With the advent of text messaging, instant messaging and social networking Web sites like Facebook or MySpace, student codes of conduct are being reworked to extend beyond school walls and into the vast world of technology. Read the story 2008-05-07 New positions aimed to protect children online The U.S. Justice Department is vowing to target Internet users who prey on children. The agency is announcing the creation of 43 new positions for prosecutors aimed at protecting young people from online sexual predators. Read the story 2008-05-07 Ban 'Second Life' in schools and libraries, Republican congressman says A Republican congressman who has sponsored legislation banning access to social-networking Web sites in schools and libraries has found a new target of displeasure: Second Life. Read the story 2008-05-07 Call for joint effort to combat online child pornography The fight against child abuse over the Internet is often hampered by data protection rules, but a joint effort between privacy authorities, financial institutions and Internet services providers can ensure significant results in line with national laws, according to a new report. Read the story 2008-05-06 Earn money protecting children online with WiHood's "virtual laptop" service WiHood's "virtual laptop" service can now earn parents and organizations money while protecting children online and bridging the digital divide. Read the press release 2008-05-06 Byron sets boundaries A new report commissioned by the government pulls out all the stops in tackling internet and gaming safety for children. But will action follow, asks Julie Nightingale. Read the article 2008-05-06 EU, children's rights group appeals to banks, Internet companies to help fight child porn Banks, credit card companies and Internet service providers were pushed Tuesday to help hunt those who sexually exploit children online or buy images of abuse. Child pornography has become a multibillion dollar industry, a children's rights group said. Read the story 2008-05-06 Dinosaur Junction's new online children's game Dinosaur Junction announced today the opening for subscriptions of their child safe, online, interactive prehistoric game. Read the press release 2008-05-06 Anti-bullying law gives grieving mom hope Jeffrey Johnston was a "techno geek," a straight-A student and a vegetarian -- a teenager who loved computers, animals and his large family. He also was a victim of bullying (both in real life and the cyber version) that started in seventh grade and continued, on and off, for more than two years. Read the story 2008-05-06 Study shows children's web sites may be entertaining, but may also make kids cry Publishers of many major children's Web sites should do a better job disclosing sales and advertising information to parents, especially as more kids at younger ages go online to play and meet friends, says a study released today. Read the press release 2008-05-05 Cyberbullying seminar this week The School District of Palm Beach County's department of Safe Schools will be holding a summit to prevent cyberbullying. This week's summit will focus on the basics of cyber-bullying as well as raise awareness. Read the announcement 2008-05-05 School's responsibility in cyberbullying Cyberbullying continues to make headlines as more and more children come forward to report online harassment. But the law is still playing catchup with new problems caused by technology. Read the story 2008-05-04 Online safety, a necessity for children While the Internet continues to be a rapidly expanding resource, usage also comes with a great deal of risk and danger for vulnerable children. Read the story 2008-04-24 Montana cops working to nab online predators Detectives in Montana say that child sexual exploitation is exploding and as part of our special series, Montana's News Station takes an in depth look at what police are doing statewide and locally to stop Internet predators. Read the story 2008-04-24 Teachers told to protect children from online risks Leading internet and telecoms firms have teamed up with the European Commission in the fight against cyber-bullying by launching a new website showing teachers how to spot inappropriate use of the Internet and mobile phones by children. Read the story 2008-04-24 Schools must address threats made online The popularity of Internet sites such as MySpace has made cyberbullying a real problem among young people. It also has made it a real headache for school districts, since such messages are generally created after school hours and on computers located off campus. Even so, school districts have a responsibility to protect students and staff... Read the editorial 2008-04-23 Facebook accused of promoting online bullying Facebook has been accused of encouraging online bullying by allowing users to post anonymous comments about other members of the site. Read the story 2008-04-23 WiHood, world’s first “virtual laptop” that protects children online WiHood’s “virtual laptop” on a USB bracelet protects children online when the parents are not home, or when the children are surfing at a friend’s home, or at school, or on vacation. Read the press release 2008-04-23 Police to question chatroom girl A 10-year-old British girl who left obscene messages on an internet chatroom is to be questioned by police. Devon and Cornwall Police were contacted by the girl's parents after she admitted pretending to be a male pedophile looking for local children. Read the story 2008-04-23 New forum for online child predators Wherever it may be, children are finding a way online. The more children logging onto the internet, the more predators are too and they’re chatting with kids on the most unsuspecting websites: video game websites. Read the story 2008-04-22 Sick images spark porn law call A judge has called for the reform of child pornography laws after jailing a man for possessing more than 35,000 images of "the most disturbing and depraved kind", including the torture and abuse of babies and bestiality. Read the story 2008-04-22 Children recruited by terrorists on friends websites Parents have been warned by police that terrorists could be recruiting children through social networking websites. Read the story 2008-04-22 Rise in child-sex arrests The number of child sex offenders arrested in the UK has trebled over the last year, according to the organisation set up by that country to deal with the problem. Read the story 2008-04-22 Digital kids challenge parents & teachers to be savvy & engaged As if parenting in the real world wasn’t hard enough, millions of unsuspecting mums and dads now need to learn how to function in virtual worlds if they want to know who their kids are hanging out with. Read the story 2008-04-21 Child porn check - Government cracking down on sex-video wave in Jamaica The Jamaican Government is now aggressively moving to arrest child pornography in the wake of a wave of electronic circulation of sexually explicit material. Read the story 2008-04-21 Rise in child-sex arrests The number of child sex offenders arrested has trebled over the last year, according to the organisation set up to deal with the problem. Almost 300 suspects have been detained in the last 12 months by officers from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. Read the story 2008-04-21 Hunting the Internet predators A profile of Ceop: "In the heart of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre, or Ceop, is a small windowless room - the victim identification suite..." Read the profile 2008-04-21 New child protection measures on social networking websites Providing links on social networking websites to protection agencies - including the police, NSPCC and the Samaritans - is one of a range of recommendations for industry and users in new guidance launched today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. Read the story 2008-04-21 Crackdown on net abusers - but what's behind the numbers? Blog post: Should we demand more accurate figures from Britain's hi-tech anti-paedophile squad? Read the post 2008-04-17 Fewer than 3,000 websites produce bulk of child porn Fewer than 3,000 English-language websites produce the bulk of child pornography images, according to the first authoritative analysis of the scale of the problem, published today. Read the story 2008-04-17 Teachers becoming latest targets of cyberbullying "She was an assistant principal at a Boston-area high school three years ago when she discovered a MySpace.com page under her name - carrying her photograph and a series of disturbing messages from students. "One said, `I want to kill her,' " said the woman." Read the story 2008-04-16 College gets online protection A South African college has implemented Aladdin's eSafe Web content filtering solution, supplied and supported in SA by Magix Integration. According to Magix Integration, eSafe allows the students and staff free access to the Internet, while ensuring they are protected from unsavoury and unsafe elements on the Web. Read the story 2008-04-16 Kids don't protect online privacy: survey Don't talk to strangers. That's some traditional advice parents give their kids. But youngsters are not always heeding the warning when going online. A new national study conducted by Kids Help Phone indicates many are giving out personal details to people they've never met. Read the story 2008-04-16 Madison school deals with cyberbullying A school beating that was recorded and posted on YouTube has prompted Madison County Schools officials to investigate who is responsible for the recording. Students and a national anti-violence group say such recordings, which are considered "cyberbullying," have become commonplace in the digital era. Read the article 2008-04-16 Cyberbullying with new technologies: how teachers should respond A teacher's perspective: "Fighting this new form of bullying isn't just a technical problem, says Dr Denise Carter. We need to educate children to anticipate risks and become emotionally resilient." Read the article 2008-04-16 Senator: Let's monitor P2P for illegal files A prominent Senate Democrat on Wednesday said federal and local police should use custom software to monitor peer-to-peer networks for illegal activity, and wants to spend $1 billion in tax dollars to make that happen. Read the story 2008-04-16 Authorities: Internet sites used in child prostitution rings A federal grand jury in Detroit has returned indictments charging five people in connection with Internet child prostitution rings. Read the story 2008-04-15 Limited funds hinder child porn fight More than 624,000 computers in the USA have traded child pornography, much of it showing the sexual abuse of very young children, in the past 2½ years, a leading police authority planned to tell Congress at a hearing Wednesday. Yet federal authorities with limited resources pursue fewer than 1% of the leads. Read the story 2008-04-15 Software tracks child porn traffickers online Police investigator Flint Waters types "toddler" on his laptop keyboard, and in the time it takes to read this paragraph, up pop dozens of pictures and videos that show young children being sexually molested. Read the article 2008-04-15 Vermont invests to knock down online predators As digital technology evolves, so do the schemes of would-be assailants lurking in cyberspace. State law enforcement officials said Monday that Vermont teenagers are increasingly vulnerable to a criminal element that veils itself behind the anonymity of the virtual world. Read the story 2008-04-15 Becta & ADCS to help councils develop e-safety strategies to protect children Becta, the UK government's education technology agency, and The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) are launching a free e-safety training and support scheme for Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs), as part of Becta's drive to help local authorities protect children and learners when they are online. Read the story 2008-04-15 Deal with the dangers of children going online All parents will teach their children how to cross a road safely or how to deal with stranger danger. Yet despite children spending a huge amount of time on the computer, many parents have never discussed how to use the internet safely with them. Studies suggest that many parents just don't know what their kids are doing online. Read the article 2008-04-14 Sebelius signs bill to prohibit cyberbullying To ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment for every Kansas child, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has signed a bill to require schools to prohibit cyberbullying. Read the story 2008-04-14 Google tackles child pornography Google engineers have adapted a software program to help track child sex predators and search for patterns in images of abuse on the web. Read the story 2008-04-14 Beating case shines light on cyberbullying Fights used to start in the schoolyard. Now, many are starting somewhere else: on the internet. Polk investigators say it seems like that's where a fight seen round the world may have started. They say the teen girl from Mulberry who was beaten on videotape talked trash about her friends on her MySpace page, and they retaliated. Read the story 2008-04-14 Sex attack on Bebo teenage girl A 13 year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a man after jokingly advertising herself as a 'whore' on the Bebo website, it was claimed last night. Police are investigating whether the girl was targeted by a pervert she may have unwittingly met on the social networking site. Read the story 2008-04-11 School uses student mediators to stop cyberbullying The whole province should learn from a program that has successfully identified and dampened cyberbullying among students at a primary school in Pointe aux Trembles, Quebec's largest teachers' union said yesterday. Read the story 2008-04-11 Focus on online 'Buddy lists' If you want to protect your child from Internet predators, all you have to do is follow the old adage, "Be your child's buddy." But that little nugget of pop-psychology has a different connotation in the World Wide Web. Read the article 2008-04-10 If we deny children access to all computer games, we deprive them of a rich and magical experience "It's true that Grand Theft Auto contains violence and misogyny. So does The Godfather. So, for that matter, does The Iliad." So begins a passionate and astute defence of video games, in the wake of the Byron Review. Read the comment 2008-04-10 Pre-teen modeling ... legal child pornography? "Red carpets. Photo shoots. Makeup artists. Hair extensions. Expensive outfits... pre-teen models dreaming of becoming supermodels are preening for the cameras. But does pre-teen modeling lead to stardom — or exploitation?" Read the story 2008-04-10 Follow these tips to protect children online Five simple and handy tips. It really can be this simple. Read the tips 2008-04-10 With cyber bullying, girls gone wild gets a horrifying new meaning Victoria Lindsay will never forget the day she was attacked. Footage of the beating, perpetrated and videotaped by girls she thought were friends, is now all over the Internet. Read the story 2008-04-10 Scarborough enters the youth/teen research market with new Internet panel Scarborough Research announced today that it is expanding its consumer and media research services to include custom studies for youth and teen markets via a new Internet panel. The company has launched the Scarborough Kids Internet Panel, or "SKIP." Read the press release 2008-04-10 Teachers sound alarm over cyberbullying Quebec's teachers are calling on the Charest government to hurry up and release its action plan to help fight cyberbullying, saying it's a growing problem. Read the story 2008-04-09 Closing the net on sex offenders Displaying reporting links to agencies including the police, NSPCC and the Samaritans on social networking websites is one of a range of recommendations for industry and users in new guidance launched today by the UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, alongside new proposals to make it harder for child sex offenders to meet children online. Read the press release 2008-04-09 RCMP on P.E.I. seek funding to create child pornography unit RCMP on Prince Edward Island are looking for money to create a specialized child pornography unit. P.E.I. is the only Canadian province without an Internet Child Exploitation unit, a division in which specially trained officers are able to investigate sexual crimes and abuses against children online. Read the story 2008-04-09 Brazil Senate orders Google to identify website pedophiles A Brazilian Senate panel ordered Google on Wednesday to give it access to 3,261 profiles containing suspected pedophile material on a highly popular social-networking website. Read the story 2008-04-09 Group calls for teen privacy protections on Facebook, MySpace The rules that limit Web sites and marketers from collecting data on kids under 13 may spread to teens as old as 18 if a group of child advocates has its way. Read the story 2008-04-09 Press watchdog to probe privacy of online social networking Newspaper watchdog the Press Complaints Commission is conducting research into public attitudes to privacy in relation to social networking websites. With millions of people now members of online communities such as Facebook, more and more personal information is available to anyone – including journalists – online. Read the story 2008-04-09 Learning about safe surfing How safe are you online? That was the question students at Harbord Collegiate Institute came out to find the answers to yesterday. Counsellors from Kids Help Phone along with an online safety specialist were on hand to help educate youth about the dangers of giving out information online. Read the story 2008-04-09 Seeking cyberbullying fame National group says videotaped beating combines the worst of playground and online bullying behavior. Were the teens seeking cyberbullying fame when they posted a videotaped beating of another teen? The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) says this latest incident shows the harsh reality of bullying. Read the story 2008-04-08 Keeping your kids safe in cyberspace It has not been a good few days for the internet: a succession of recent reports and surveys has warned of the dangers the web poses to children, and parents could be forgiven for cancelling their broadband subscriptions and dumping the family computer. Read the article 2008-04-08 Web extra: anti-bullying tips, cyberbullying, Bully video game There's lots of steps parents can take to keep their kids safe from bullies. Read the piece 2008-04-08 Internet safety starts with parent-child communication Communication is the key to a good relationship with your children, and talking about the Internet is vital to their safety. Read the article 2008-04-08 Internet safety school to home Several Middle Georgia schools have taken internet safety measures. Today, the faculty at Perry Middle School, is taking it a step further. School leaders are educating parents about online dangers. Read the story 2008-04-08 Lovestruck MySpace teen not guilty of harassment, court says Interesting case in which a lovestruck 18-year-old is eventually cleared by the New York City court of "aggravated harassment" of a 14-year-old girl on MySpace. Read the story 2008-04-07 Net is playground for parents as well as children Parents are far more likely to use the internet regularly than adults without children, according to research published today, and what they are doing online varies with the age of their offspring. Read the story 2008-04-07 Bullying moves to the Internet It's an age-old problem that's taken on a new form in a new age. And it's posing a new challenge for educators. Once limited to face-to-face encounters, bullying has moved to the Internet, where, some say, the insults have become more damaging because the perpetrators can hide behind screen names and online personalities created with the click of a mouse. Read the article 2008-04-07 Measures to protect kids online don't go far enough While welcoming new governmental recommendations to protect children surfing the web, one of the UK's largest children's charities has warned that the measures may not work. The NSPCC has stated firmly that the Home Office recommendation that those on the child sex offenders' list be forced to hand over their email address to police so that they can be blocked from social networking sites, will have a limited effect. Read the story 2008-04-07 Are your kids safe? Online safety expert Debbie Gordon says common sense is a parent's best guide when it comes to navigating the complex and sometimes unfamiliar terrain of the Internet. Read the story 2008-04-06 Virginia first state to require Internet safety lessons Virginia has become the first state to mandate that public schools offer Internet safety classes for all grade levels. Across the United States, Texas and Illinois are among states that have since passed their own Internet safety education laws, but unlike Virginia they don't make the courses mandatory. Other states are considering similar legislation. Read the story 2008-04-06 Cyberbullies: Online attacks affecting teens When an online bully attacks, it becomes intensely personal. And it's happening here, say area counselors, police and young people. One South Dakota high school senior says harassing e-mails, text messages and a Web site containing attacks disrupted her life for several months. Read the article 2008-04-06 Online 'cyberbullying' hurtful for children Recent advances in technology have given kids new ways to communicate, but also new ways to be hurt. Bullying from the schoolyard has moved to being harassed by peers online or by cell phone. Read the article 2008-04-04 Sex offenders face website bans Sex offenders' e-mail addresses are to be passed to social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo to prevent them contacting children. Under government proposals, offenders who do not give police their address - or give a false one - would face up to five years in jail. Read the story 2008-04-04 Internet safety plans 'pointless' The UK Government has proposed new measures to prevent pedophiles grooming children over the internet. Phil Worms, director of the Glasgow-based internet safety and security company Netintelligence, gives his views on the idea. Read the opinion 2008-04-04 UK Government publishes report on protecting kids online The UK government has today published its recommendations to help protect children as they surf the Internet. The Telegraph leaked one of the recommendations recently - that the 999 emergency details be displayed on all networking sites, but the report by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith actually takes this a step further. Read the story 2008-04-04 D-Link offers online safety tips for children Following on from the Byron Report, and the government guidelines released today by the Home Office, D-Link has released its own free guide [pdf] for keeping kids safe online. Read the story 2008-04-03 The Internet: how parents can play safe It has not been a good week for the Internet: a succession of recent reports and surveys has warned of the dangers the web poses to children, and parents could be forgiven for cancelling their broadband subscriptions and throwing the family computer out with the rest of the household waste. However... [some good links in this article] Read the article 2008-04-03 Study: Kids put profiles on older sites If the Internet at its worst is a lair for child predators, child safety folks have the best of reasons to worry about social networking sites, where members are invited to post all sorts of revealing information about themselves. Now they have even more reason to worry. Read the comment 2008-04-03 Virtual nightmares about social networking "Two UK reports declare children to be in danger when online - yet there's no evidence to support these fears." A well-argued critique of some of the alarmist reactions to recent reports on children's new media behaviours, even if the writer tends to go too far the other way in his attempt to counteract the prevailing wisdom. Read the comment 2008-04-03 Home Office calls for better security on social networking sites Social networking sites should carry the telephone numbers of child welfare agencies, the police and confidential hotlines under guidance to be published tomorrow, aimed at improving online security. Read the story 2008-04-02 Children’s social network pages ‘must have privacy lock’ Two and a half million children aged between 8 and 17 have created profiles on social networking sites, according to research. But parents fail to realise that poor security means that about four in ten personal pages are open for anyone to look at. Read the story 2008-04-02 Adult social networking sites attract young users Millions of children are using social networking websites intended for older users, according to a study by the media regulator, Ofcom. Research into internet use has found that, among children with internet access, more than a quarter of eight to 11-year-olds claimed to have a profile page on a social networking website. This is despite nominal age restrictions aimed at preventing pre-teens from using such sites. Read the story 2008-04-02 Rejuvenated CyberPatrol will protect kids CyberPatrol LLC, a new company founded by former executives of PestPatrol, announced Wednesday that it has acquired the well-known CyberPatrol parental control utility from Websense. Read the story 2008-04-02 Online browsing tips for children The Worldwide Web offers endless educational and entertainment opportunities, especially for children. However, parents must remember that the Internet is also a passage into your home for sexual predators and access to information that may be inappropriate. Read the tips 2008-04-02 Search warrants for child porn too slow, say RCMP Child pornography investigations in Atlantic Canada are being held up by internet service providers who require search warrants before providing customer information, say RCMP. Read the story 2008-04-02 Parents' views on social networks Some interesting parental reactions to the recent report which shows that more than a quarter of eight to 11-year-olds who are online in the UK have a profile on a social network site. Seems like it's an issue, but media handwringing does not necessarily reflect the actual experiences of real people. Read the comments 2008-04-02 Can the UK government regulate US-based social networking sites? An interesting question, indeed, and a refreshing take on the issues raised by recent reports in the UK. Read the post 2008-04-01 Psychologist says kids sharing secrets online may be OK Just because your kids aren't telling you their darkest secrets doesn't mean they're not sharing them with someone else online. But that's not always a bad thing, psychologist Linda Young says. Read the article 2008-04-01 Agents target online predators "She looked like an easy target for an Internet predator. She told her adult “buddy” she was 14 and she lived in the area. After an explicit chat online, they agreed to meet in person. When the man showed up at the meeting place, however, the teenage girl wasn’t there..." Read the story 2008-04-01 Virtual playground A whole generation of kids is growing up in the internet age. They're web savvy and find a lot of their entertainment online, giving entrepreneurs plenty of opportunities to cater to the kid crowd. But there are important issues these startups need to be aware of. Read the article 2008-04-01 Parents need to use common sense when it comes to their kids and the Internet Online safety expert Debbie Gordon says common sense is a parent's best guide when it comes to navigating the complex and sometimes unfamiliar terrain of the Internet. Gordon has been speaking to children, parents and teachers about the Internet for the last six years, and says parents are doing a better job with the Internet than when she first started speaking publicly. Read the story 2008-04-01 'Miss Bimbo' online game gets makeover amid criticism The makers of the online game "Miss Bimbo" have removed the option for players to purchase virtual diet pills as the game targeting young girls comes under close scrutiny. Read the story 2008-04-01 Tech Weekly: Tanya Byron and internet bandwidth Listen to the podcast discussing Dr. Tanya Byron's report for the UK government on child safety online. Listen to the podcast 2008-03-31 Parental advisory Response to the Byron Report [pdf] has been largely positive. But what is its likely impact - and can regulation of any kind really ever work? It's not often that a government-sponsored review is welcomed warmly by all sides. But that's the odd position that Tanya Byron, the TV psychologist and author of a review into child safety on the internet, found herself in last week. Read the article 2008-03-31 This review builds consensus - now let's act on it More analysis of the Byron Report. Read the analysis 2008-03-30 Cyberbullying a growing concern for parents, schools With recent high-profiled cases revolving around cyberbullying - sending or receiving threatening messages online or via text message - teens' online interactions are becoming a growing concern for parents and school districts alike. Read the story 2008-03-28 Good old parenting will keep the online bogeymen at bay It sounds almost too obvious, really, but: the way to keep children safe in the virtual world is to give them the skills that they have always needed in the real world. Read the comment 2008-03-27 Parents to be shown how to protect children online The first national [UK] strategy for child internet safety, including a streamlined system for classifying computer video games and codes of practice for social networking sites, will be set out today in a ground-breaking report for government. Read the story 2008-03-27 Internet savvy children live in techno-Narnia Alice has moved on. Today's child has access to a world more perplexing than the universe Lewis Carroll's heroine found beneath the rabbit hole. The modern version of the story of a pre-teenager lost in a fantasy realm could be entitled Alice in Cyberspace. Read the article 2008-03-27 Internet and video game safety: Ten practical tips to help protect your children One of Gordon Brown's first actions on becoming Prime Minister was to commission a review into the potentially harmful effects of the internet and video games on children... Here we offer our top ten practical tips for keeping your children safe online, while playing video games, and even while using their mobile phones. Read the tips 2008-03-27 PM backs call to protect children online British Prime minister Gordon Brown today backed Dr Tanya Byron's proposals for a national strategy for improving child safety online, saying internet service providers had to take more responsibility for what children can access on their computers. Read the story 2008-03-26 Social networking sites must protect children from paedophiles Facebook and other social networking websites will have to display prominent safety messages under guidelines to protect children from paedophiles and conmen. The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the Home Office will also urge sites such as Bebo and MySpace to encourage young internet users to tighten their privacy settings, in order to prevent strangers gaining access to their personal profile pages. Read the story 2008-03-26 Parents concerned about Miss Bimbo game Parents' groups have criticised a new internet craze in which young girls give virtual characters plastic surgery and feed them diet pills. The Miss Bimbo game has seen girls aged as young as nine given an online alter ego, which they look after. Read the story 2008-03-25 Google warms up to parents with kids' safety video Google is making its first public relations play for parents. On Tuesday, the search company will unveil a new Family Safety Guide, a parent's resource for kids' safety online. Read the story 2008-03-25 Warning to parents over children 'being raised online' British children are spending more than 20 hours a week online, most of it at social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, and are in effect being "raised online", according to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research. Read the article 2008-03-25 Majority of parents fear their children's safety online According to research from F-Secure Corp., the majority of parents in both the U.S. and Europe are worried about their children's safety while using the Internet. Only 5.5% believe their children are totally safe, with a further 18% feeling somewhat safe. Read the story 2008-03-24 Parents urged to ban computers from their children's bedrooms Parents will this week be urged to ban computers from their children's bedrooms. A report by TV psychologist Tanya Byron into the damaging impact of video games and the internet will point out that parents have little idea what their youngsters do online. Read the story 2008-03-22 Laws on child porn inadequate Japan has been criticized by the international community as a "child pornography powerhouse," but a campaign to legally ban individuals from possessing pornographic images of children is gaining momentum in this country. Read the article 2008-03-21 Learn the online safety rules Next Tuesday night at Potomac Falls High School in Cascades Loudoun residents will have access to some of the nation's leading experts in the field of Internet safety. It is a forum that all parents who are concerned about their children's online activities should attend with their children. Read the editorial 2008-03-20 Internet fuels child exploitation The advent of the World Wide Web has provided child predators a new way to connect with children—and with other abusers. With approximately 20 per cent of all Internet pornography involving children, law enforcement agencies are hard-pressed to respond effectively. Read the article 2008-03-20 Ont. bill to mandate reporting of child porn one step closer to becoming law Reporting suspected child pornography to police would become mandatory in Ontario under legislation that moved one step closer to becoming law Thursday after it received all-party approval on second reading in the provincial legislature. Read the story 2008-03-20 NI children 'surfing web alone' Two thirds of children in Northern Ireland are still left unsupervised on the internet, a survey has suggested. Read the story 2008-03-19 iKeepSafe and Symantec host Norton Connected & Protected Kids' Assembly to honor Utah First Lady Mary Kaye Huntsman Symantec, makers of Norton security software, and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition, a national non-profit organization committed to Internet safety, today honored Utah First Lady Mary Kaye Huntsman with the Internet Keep Safe Award for her efforts towards keeping Salt Lake City's children safe online. Read the full announcement 2008-03-18 Liberal wants Ont. law to require reporting of suspected child pornography The opposition parties said Tuesday they expect to support a bill by a Liberal backbencher in the Ontario legislature who wants the law changed to make it mandatory for anyone who suspects they've seen child pornography to report it to police. Read the full story 2008-03-18 Governor Lynch applauds Senate Committee's vote in support of Online Child Safety Act New Hampshire Governor John Lynch today thanked the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for continuing to work with him to protect children from sexual predators by supporting the Online Child Safety Act. Read the full story 2008-03-18 Concerns raised over online child safety Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, has said that some internet service providers were not doing enough to protect children online. Read the full article 2008-03-18 KidZui vets Web for kids Few Youtube videos are age-appropriate for a toddler or a pre-teen. And even fewer parents will take the time to find that dinosaur-related clip amidst a slew of music and college-partying videos. But a new Web company aims to do the work for parents. Read the full story 2008-03-18 Keeping kids safe online: myths & tips "Kids today live in an interactive “Web 2.0” world, where they socialize, post photographs and videos and share common experiences with friends, friends of friends and, in some cases, strangers. Millions of kids are doing it every day and the overwhelming majority of them seem to be doing just fine. But that doesn’t mean that the social-Web is a danger-free zone..." Read the full article 2008-03-17 Police investigating child pornography ring arrest 18 Western Australian men Police in Western Australia have arrested 18 men in connection with a world-wide investigation into child pornography. Read the full story 2008-03-15 Parents learn to keep kids Internet safe "Some parents wouldn’t know a chat room from a bowl of chowder. That’s a fact that Internet predators count on as they prowl for young victims, and a situation that parents can no longer afford to ignore, New Castle County Police warned today as they ramped up efforts to give the public more weapons in the fight against pedophiles." Read the full story 2008-03-14 Kingston man gets 3 years in international child porn case Mark Bedford, a 23-year-old man from Kingston, Ont., was sentenced to three years in prison Friday for his involvement in what authorities have called one of largest child porn cases ever prosecuted in Canada. Read the full story 2008-03-14 Libraries must report child pornography to police Librarians across the United States should report child pornography to law enforcement despite their supervisors' reluctance to protect children, said Campaign for Children and Families, a leading California-based pro-family organization. Read the press release 2008-03-13 10 percent of Osaka school children complain of online harassment More than one in 10 junior and senior high school students in the city of Osaka have been harassed or bad mouthed on Internet bulletin boards, blogs or via e-mail, according to a survey. Read the full story 2008-03-13 On Photobucket, babies in diapers are seen as 'nudity' Photobucket is removing photos of babies in diapers from the site, saying they violate the terms of service because they depict "nudity." Read the full story 2008-03-13 Photobucket says it erred in censoring diapered babies Scratch that last story, after Photobucket admits that it erroneously dumped the photos. Read the full story 2008-03-12 30 nabbed possessing child pornography The Israel Police announced Wednesday that they had rounded up a large number of suspected pedophiles who had downloaded - and distributed - illicit materials through the Internet, but said that the operation was only one stage of a larger plan for 2008 to crack down on the phenomenon of Internet pedophilia. Read the full story 2008-03-11 UNICEF calls on Japan to crack down on child pornography Japan should ban possession of child pornography and crack down on animated films, comic books and computer games that show children being sexually exploited, UNICEF said Tuesday. Read the full story 2008-03-11 Keeping kids from getting tangled up in the ‘Net How young is too young for a child to join a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook? With the launch of sites like Disney Xtreme Digital and Club Penguin, younger children are being targeted to promote themselves on the Internet. Read the full article 2008-03-11 New Hampshire Senate Committee asked to protect children from online predators On Monday, Governor John Lynch asked the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee to continue the state's efforts to protect children from sexual predators by supporting the Online Child Safety Act. Read the full story 2008-03-10 Predators@yourkids.net "Get over your fear of the internet, do it fast, and get involved yourself in the technologies your children are using, said Merlyn Horton of the Safe OnLine Outreach Society. Your children are literally at stake, she said." More from the SOLOS Roadshow. Read the full article 2008-03-10 Japan to outlaw possession of child porn More on the Japanese government's decision to bring Japan in line with the international community by banning the possession of child pornography. Some still think they haven't gone far enough. Read the full story 2008-03-10 National CyberTipline marks 10 years of operation The CyberTipline, the (U.S.) nation's system for reporting suspected sexual exploitation of children, will celebrate 10 years of operation this week. Operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the CyberTipline has processed more than 570,000 reports of sex crimes against children, some as young as two weeks old. Read the press release 2008-03-10 Canadian pedophile suspect appears in court in Thailand A Canadian arrested last year in a worldwide manhunt after Interpol unscrambled his swirled digital images from Internet photos appeared in court Monday in Thailand, accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy. Read the full story 2008-03-10 Internet gets lion's share of kids' attention and increasingly influences what they watch on TV With kids multitasking on TV, online and on digital devices, companies need to rethink their marketing strategies, according to a new social networking study. TV, once the dominant kids media, no longer gets their undivided attention, according to a study on social networking by Grunwald Associates LLC, an independent research firm that specializes in new media market intelligence. Read the press release 2008-03-09 Ban eyed on possession of child porn The ruling coalition of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito likely will revise the law against child prostitution and child pornography to ban individual possession of child pornography. The move was decided due to international criticism of Japan over its failure to respond to increasing number of pornography cases victimizing children via the Internet. Read the full story 2008-03-09 Tougher child porn measure nears vote New York State would toughen penalties against child pornography crimes — in some cases using laws aimed at organized crime — under legislation the State Senate is expected to approve early this week. The bill covers a variety of child exploitation issues, from possession and production of child pornography, to the presentation of Internet evidence in court. It also would offer counseling and “safe haven” services for exploited children. Read the full story 2008-03-08 Concern in Europe on cellphone ads for children Shiny child-size phones are stirring some parental and government unease, particularly at a time when the mobile telephone industry is reaching deeper into saturated markets to tap customers with chubby hands capable of cradling both dolls and phones. Read the full article 2008-03-08 Face that haunts pedophile busters It's a face that haunts police around the world. A young girl, probably now nine, who has grown up from infancy on film - thousands of pictures and movies shot of her being molested by an abuser who then shared the images with a network of like-minded internet pedophiles. Read the full article 2008-03-08 SXSWi: Steven Johnson, Henry Jenkins talk youth and collective intelligence "In a lively discussion that focused on youth and collective intelligence, noted researchers and authors Steven Johnson and Henry Jenkins officially opened South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) on Saturday in the conference's first keynote address." A must-read blog post. Read the blog post 2008-03-08 Internet task forces, net nannies, and the stupidity of not parenting Spirited if somewhat opinionated blog post attacking parents for their apparent unwillingness to fully learn about the technology their children are immersed in. Read the blog post 2008-03-08 Children targeted through Xbox Live A Lansing, Michigan mother was shocked after her two children were subjected to nude pictures on Xbox Live. Michigan State Police say this disturbing crime should be a wake up call for parents. Video games are meant to be a haven mostly targeted towards children but just like logging onto the Internet, state police say online games have become a magnet for sexual predators. Read the full story 2008-03-08 Pornographic images sent through Xbox Live, parents turn off Xbox without getting gamertag In a derisive response to the previous story about pornographic images on Xbox Live, parents and the media come in for more justifiable scorn over their general cluelessness toward the technology, not least because they could have prevented further occurrences had they acted more knowledgeably. Overly reliant on profanities, the writer nonetheless makes some excellent points. Read the blog post 2008-03-08 Two convicted of drugging, raping high-schooler Two young B.C. men have been convicted of giving a high school student a date-rape drug and sexually assaulting her, after they met on the Internet. Read the full story 2008-03-07 Microsoft helps AFP curb online nasties The Australian Federal Police will use specially developed software from Microsoft to combat online child pornography. Read the full story 2008-03-06 Police crack global child porn ring More information on the massive global porn sting. Read the full story 2008-03-06 Five-year-olds should be taught about online safety, say Tories Children as young as five would be taught about the dangers of putting their personal details on the internet under plans drawn up by the Conservatives to tackle cyber-crime. Read the full story 2008-03-06 Myths exposed A lot of parental worries about internet sex predators are unjustified, according to new research by a leading US centre that studies crimes against children. Read the full article 2008-03-06 MySpace announces step-up in safety measures As part of its ongoing commitment to safety, MySpace today launched a new Internet safety public service announcement, partnerships with nonprofit organizations and web site to promote online safety awareness among parents, educators and teens. Read the press release 2008-03-06 Expert: Parents the key to safe Internet travel ''Don't take candy from strangers'' simply isn't enough anymore, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Roth says. Read the full story 2008-03-05 Gay youth more likely to be exploited on Internet Youth who are gay or are questioning their sexual identity are significantly more likely than others to be victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes. However, the vast majority of those encounters are illegal because of the age of the participant, not because of coercion or violence. Read the full story 2008-03-04 International child porn ring uncovered More than 400,000 pictures, video files and other images showing children engaged in sexual behavior were produced, advertised, traded and distributed globally in a global online pornography ring, according to U.S. and international authorities. The sting, which started in Australia, also netted accused pornographers in England, Canada and Germany. Read the full story 2008-03-03 New program escalates fight against child pornography Child pornography legislation in both the state of Utah and at the federal level has recently been introduced. Read the full story 2008-03-03 More Chinese children exposed to online danger Children in China are far more likely to be exposed to online dangers than their foreign peers, a recent research report says. Read the full story 2008-03-03 Big brains from Harvard lead MySpace task force – but why? This article is skeptical about the effectiveness of a group of technology and law experts fully addressing the protection of children online. The money quote: “Do they really think that better electronic solutions are going to do anything at all to this generation of techno-savvy kids? You may as well try to hold your hands up to stop a tsunami." (Dr. Larry Rosen) Read the full article 2008-03-03 David Pogue downplays online safety challenges for kids and teens Amy Tiemann's response to, and partial rebuttal of, David Pogue's recent New York Times blog post, which she believes "dangerously minimizes the seriousness of the challenges that online life poses for families." Read the full post 2008-03-02 Protecting Children Online Parents trying to keep their kids safe online may be startled to hear that only two percent of the people known to traffic child pornography are ever prosecuted. Now Senator Tim Johnson and other legislators are trying to change that. Senator Johnson has co-sponsored the Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2007, which aims to prevent cyber crimes involving children. Read the full story 2008-03-02 Team focuses on web paedophiles Det Insp Simon Snell, head of the Devon and Cornwall Police's Force Online Investigation team, says the number of paedophiles using the internet to target and abuse children is still growing worryingly. Read the full story 2008-02-29 Long Island DAs, lawmakers endorse e-STOP legislation Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced last week their support for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's new Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) legislation and its protections against sexual predators online. Read the full story 2008-02-29 Harvard leads investigation into online safety of children With online safety an ongoing concern when it comes to interaction with the Internet, and specifically social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, a task force of Net experts headed by Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society are to investigate how to better protect children from potentially dangerous outside influences. Read the full story 2008-02-28 Child porn's shadow darkens Extensive if fairly alarmist article on the apparently increasing prevalence of child porn and the online exploitation of children. Read the full article 2008-02-28 The Berkman Center announces formation of Internet Safety task force to identify and develop online safety tools The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School today announced that it will head a newly formed Internet Safety Technical Task Force. The Task Force, comprised of leading Internet businesses and organizations, will focus on identifying effective online safety tools and technologies that can be used by many companies across multiple platforms. Read the press release 2008-02-28 MySpace: Coming of age for coming of age Serious questions are being raised about how to control minors' access to online social networking sites. Critics are skeptical about privacy issues raised by age verification on social networks. Read the opinion piece 2008-02-28 How dangerous is the Internet for children? "A few years ago, a parenting magazine asked me to write an article about the dangers that children face when they go online. As it turns out, I was the wrong author for the article they had in mind." David Pogue examines some of the myths and misinformation surrounding the topic. Read the full post 2008-02-28 How the media can misrepresent the Web Another analysis of media sensationalism when it comes to child pornography and the Internet. Read the full opinion 2008-02-27 Child pornography targeted by EU safer internet programme The European Commission has proposed a new €55 million 'Safer Internet' programme to tackle child pornography, grooming and digital bullying. Read the full story 2008-02-27 Protect children from online risks The Nevada County Superintendent of Schools office, in conjunction with the 10 school districts in Nevada County, has declared this week Cyber-Safety Week. Read the full article 2008-02-27 Children kept safe by online provider A new broadband provider is about to hit the market in the West Midlands with a product aimed at boosting online child safety. Spidermail is aimed at offering a service that surpasses parental control systems. Read the full story 2008-02-27 U of T cyber bullying survey debunks myth of anonymity A recent survey conducted by U of T into cyber bullying amongst students in Grades 6 and 7 and Grades 10 and 11 found, among other things, that simply monitoring a child’s use of the Internet does not provide enough protection in today’s world. Read the full article 2008-02-26 Net filter at test phase The Australian federal Government's plan to have internet service providers filter pornography and other internet content deemed inappropriate for children is going full-steam ahead. Read the full story 2008-02-26 Education 'as effective as internet filtering' Better education about online safety would be just as effective as internet filtering to prevent children from accessing inappropriate material on the web, according to a report by Australia's communications watchdog. Read the full article 2008-02-26 MPs get web filter 'dark ages' warning A Microsoft executive told MPs today that forcing software companies to install internet content filtering technology with high-security settings as standard to all computers would send the UK back to the "dark ages". Read the full story 2008-02-26 Alliance against child porn launched "While the vast majority of child pornography is today accessed through conventional Internet connections, there is a danger that the broadband networks now being rolled out by mobile operators could be misused in a similar fashion..." Read the full story 2008-02-26 Parents learn prevention against online predators According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Web site, one in seven youth online, ages 10 to 17, received a sexual solicitation or approach. The risks for children on the Internet include exposure to inappropriate or explicit material, child sexual solicitation, harassment, bullying, stalking and theft of personal information. Read the full story 2008-02-26 Teenage bullies 'use YouTube and Facebook to torment their victims,' parents warned Popular websites such as YouTube, MySpace and Facebook have fuelled a rise in teenage bullying, MPs were told today. Children's campaigners said they were used to target victims by posting offensive messages, images and video clips. Read the full story 2008-02-26 Spreading "1 in 5" number does more harm than good A comprehensively written opinion article decrying the sensationalism surrounding how much actual danger children are in online. The comments are well worth reading, too. Read the full post 2008-02-25 Verifying authenticity of child porn photos a major effort Court challenges to digital photographic evidence are becoming more prevalent in child pornography cases since a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a ban on computer-generated child pornography. Read the full story 2008-02-25 Parents must stay vigilant online The state's top law enforcement officer is concerned that the recent University of New Hampshire study debunking stereotypes about Internet sex predators could cause parents and their children to drop their guard against online threats. Read the full story 2008-02-25 Safe surfing on the web: a parent's guide Knowing what your kids are up to online can help protect them from identity theft, cyber strangers and other potential pitfalls of the Web. Read the full article 2008-02-25 Younger children most at risk online says expert Social networking sites like Club Penguin and GirlSense , which are aimed at pre-teens, can often be a bigger worry than Bebo or Facebook, says Luison Lassala, director of Anchor Youth Centre in Dublin and a freelance IT consultant. Read the full article 2008-02-22 Soldier guilty of online plot to kidnap children for sex A soldier was found guilty yesterday of an online plot to kidnap young children for sex. Kenneth Gardner, 29, bought chloroform to drug the girls while scheming with two chatroom users. Read the full story 2008-02-22 Senate backs bill outlawing porn sales to kids U.S. Senators backed a bill Friday that would make it illegal to sell pornography to children, even though some lawmakers questioned whether it could be enforced. Senators agreed to change the measure (Senate Bill 125) to also make it a felony to use pornography as a tool in sexually abusing a child. Read the full story 2008-02-21 Croatia raids 190 homes in child pornography swoop Croatian police have raided almost 200 homes in what police said could be the biggest crackdown to date on paedophiles and child pornography users in that country. Read the full story 2008-02-21 Online photos not as private as district mother assumed Warning: "Be careful what photographs you post online. About four months ago Meredith Massey uploaded three pictures of her children skinny-dipping, along with more than 50 other photos, to the online photo site Flickr..." Read the full story 2008-02-20 Shrek Internet safety browser for kids earns 2008 iParenting best product award Children's Educational Network (CEN) is proud to announce that they have been honored with the distinctive IParenting 2008 Best Products Award for their internet safety, parental control Shrek Browser for kids. Read the press release 2008-02-20 Most parents know little about Bebo, survey finds Seven out of 10 young Irish teenagers use social networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace. But most parents have little understanding of the phenomenon including the dangers associated with it, Government-commissioned research released today indicates. Read the full story 2008-02-20 Few pedophiles posing as youths online More analysis of the new study from the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, indicating that not only is the stereotype of a pedophile masquerading as a teen on the Internet to stalk naive young victims false, it's also distracting parents, educators and policy makers from addressing the sex crimes that are being initiated via the Internet. Read the full article 2008-02-19 Legislation to give child abuse victims a voice in civil courts Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and key legislators unveiled new legislation Tuesday which, if passed, will provide victims of child pornography with a voice in court proceedings against individuals who download and distribute images of the child's sexual abuse. Read the full story 2008-02-19 Study: Threat from online sex predators may be exaggerated A new study suggests that people tend to overestimate the danger from sexual predators who troll the Internet for victims. Read the blog post 2008-02-19 Internet tsar to make children's surfing safer The Government of the Irish Republic has appointed a new internet tsar to protect young people in that country against online dangers. Read the full story 2008-02-19 FTC reels in web sites where pre-teens send e-cards In a new interpretation of COPPA (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is advising Web site operators that they should obtain parents' consent before letting users under age 13 send an e-card that includes the senders' e-mail address or first and last name. Read the full story 2008-02-18 ‘Internet Predator’ Stereotypes Debunked in New Study Contrary to stereotype, most Internet sex offenders are not adults who target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them, according to researchers who have studied the nature of Internet-initiated sex crimes. Read the article [pdf] 2008-02-14 Police charge third suspect in child pornography investigation Police have laid charges against a third Ottawa man identified as part of a province-wide investigation into child pornography. Read the full story 2008-02-14 Survey: children's online activities underestimated A survey done by software company Symantec Corp. revealed that the kinds of Internet activity children are engaged in may be more dangerous than parents expect. Read the full article 2008-02-14 Australians a bit too comfortable online An Australian perspective on that Symantec survey which examined the digital lifestyle habits of adults and children from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. Read the full article 2008-02-14 Congressional child safety Bills present serious constitutional risks The current Congressional session has seen the introduction of an unprecedented number of bills intended to promote online child safety or regulation online content. In past Congresses, there have only been a handful of serious proposals to regulate speech. This year, in marked contrast, more than thirty different bills, addressing the broad topic of child safety in new and online media, have been introduced. Read the full analysis 2008-02-14 Online bullying 'on the rise' Children's rights director for England, Roger Morgan: "[M]ore and more children and young people we spoke to are now suffering at the hands of bullies in many places - at home, in the classroom, in the street, and now even online." Read the full story 2008-02-13 Making cyberspace safer Ontario is promoting cyber safety to help kids avoid online predators. Read the press release 2008-02-12 Twenty-two nabbed in Ontario porn sweep Investigators with police forces across Ontario swept down on 16 communities Monday and arrested 22 people in what the Ontario Provincial Police has billed as the largest co-ordinated child pornography investigation in the province's history. Read the full story 2008-02-12 Internet Day highlights web risks Safer Internet Day is being marked around Europe with events to educate children and parents about net dangers. Read the full story 2008-02-12 Children exposed to online risks Evidence that Irish children are being increasingly exposed to risks online by releasing personal information was revealed today. The EU Kids Online survey finds that many young Irish people are giving out their personal information online. Read the full story 2008-02-12 Scared safe, online "A girl appears in a video, standing on a kids' bed, wearing a red bathing suit, her hair braided and tied with a ribbon. She strikes a Lolita pose. Her friend, a boy, is seen filming her amateurishly and complimenting her. Immediately afterward they huddle over a laptop and send the pictures to a friend..." Read the full story 2008-02-12 Partnership keeps 3 million Canadian school children safer from Internet dangers Nearly 3 million Canadian school children will be safer on the Internet thanks to a unique partnership between provincial governments and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Read the press release 2008-02-11 EU eyes safer cyberspace for young Parents eager to control what their children see online, and who they meet during their excursions into cyberspace, are spoilt for choice when it comes to parental controls software. Realising this, the European Union has stepped in to help by ranking the providers in a three-year benchmarking study. Read the full story 2008-02-11 Web tracking device guards children against predators Corporations were the first inspiration for Jerry Salvi's and Michael DenBlaker's online tracking technology. But children soon became the focus of a broader vision. Read the full story 2008-02-07 Tory MP calls for 'PCC of the net' UK Conservative MP Hugo Swire has called for a Press Complaints Commission-style regulator to be set up to protect young people on the internet. Read the full story 2008-02-07 Control access your child has to Internet "It has been said that the best defense is a good offense and in terms of protecting your children on the Internet this couldn't be truer..." Read the full article 2008-02-06 National round table discussion on child safety on the internet held On February 6, 2008, at the initiative of Microsoft Bulgaria, Bulgarian child portal Az-deteto.com and the Blagodeyatel Foundation, a round table discussion dedicated to the problems of child safety on the internet was held. Read the full story 2008-02-05 Tiscali offers anti-grooming software Tiscali has announced a partnership with online safety firm Crisp to help parents monitor and protect children when online. The Crisp software analyses the content of online conversations in an attempt to uncover predators wanting to groom, and potentially abuse, children. Read the full story 2008-02-04 Top Mountie calls for effort to combat child pornography Speaking to the recent annual general meeting of P.E.I. Crime Stoppers, Chief Superintendent Randy Robar of the RCMP said the amount of child pornography available and the extreme nature of the material is cause for concern. Read the full story 2008-02-04 Webroot Software unveils product to protect children online Webroot Software Inc has unveiled new software aimed at keeping inappropriate material off children's computers. The company also is behind a free program that provides instant alerts from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children when a child is reported missing. Read the press release 2008-02-04 Telstra launches cyber safety program Telstra has launched a new $2 million program to reduce cyber-bullying and online harassment of children. The Telstra Foundation's Cyber Safety program will provide grants of at least $75,000 per year, over three years, to organisations tackling cyber safety issues ranging from bullying to internet addiction and identity theft. Read the full story 2008-02-04 Market researchers target kids with online games Privacy experts say they are concerned about dozens of websites where children can play games — and are encouraged to share information about themselves and their families with market research firms. Read the full story 2008-02-04 New hardware to be launched A new piece of computer hardware will be launched in the UK on Internet Safety Day (12 February 2008) to help parents fight back against the dangers of chatroom grooming, malicious websites and violent computer games on their home PCs. PICstick™ is much more than a simple internet filter because it puts parents in control of the whole computer. Read the press release 2008-02-04 Mind the (online) gap An interesting new Tel Aviv University research study has found that, despite what parents might believe, there is an enormous gap between what they think their children are doing online and what is really happening. Read the full article 2008-02-01 Fighting child pornography on the Web The criminal-justice and Internet communities as well as child advocates and educators — some from as far away as Washington, D.C., and California — convened Thursday in Buffalo to suggest ways New York State can combat Internet child pornography. Read the full story 2008-02-01 Social networking sites safer than IM or chat rooms While social networking Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook have been singled out as places where teens could face sexual harassment, most of the unwanted solicitation actually happens in chat rooms and via instant messaging, a new study finds. Read the full story 2008-01-31 We must fight child sexual abuse In a newspaper commentary, the US Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer urges Japan to step up its fight against online child pornography. Read the Editorial 2008-01-31 Clearwater online child sex predator investigation leads to arrest An Internet investigation based in Clearwater, Florida leads to the arrest of a California man for solicitation of a minor via computer and additional charges. Read the full story 2008-01-31 E-STOP a feel-good law, but will it stop predators? Opinion piece questions the practical effectiveness of new U.S. legislation named E-STOP (Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act), pointing out the potential danger of a false sense of security. Read the Editorial 2008-01-30 Parents: Find out about online world "Parents need to be involved in their children's online social lives to keep them safe, and an upcoming presentation will help them do that. Merlyn Horton of Safe Online Outreach Society is presenting Growing Up and Parenting in the Cyber-Age on Feb. 26, at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby." Read the full story 2008-01-30 NY AG pushes e-safety bill, Facebook, MySpace back it New York's attorney general and state legislative leaders presented a bill on Tuesday aimed at protecting people from sexual predators on the Internet, as Facebook, MySpace and Yahoo backed the effort. Read the full story 2008-01-25 Parents learn about online safety Parents, get with the times. That was Sarah Migas' opening message during a presentation about online safety Thursday night at Ottawa Township High School. Read the full story 2008-01-25 MP calls for law to force online shops to verify customer age A bill has been introduced in Parliament which would force online retailers to check customers' ages before selling goods that cannot be sold to children. Read the full story 2008-01-25 Frontline on "Growing Up Online" Reaction to the Frontline Program: "When PBS's Frontline reported on Growing Up Online this week, it called the gulf between kids who grew up with technology and their parents "the greatest generation gap since rock 'n' roll."" Read the full review 2008-01-25 String of suicides leads to questions about Web's role A possible link to Bebo.com sparks a debate over what responsibility memorial pages and online groups can provide as an outlet for dealing with emotions. Read the full story 2008-01-25 Posing as girl, retired cop nabs prey Interesting profile of a retired police chief who poses as a young girl online and has netted 20 arrests since he started in 2002. Read the full article 2008-01-25 Curious cat finds child porn stash, leading to man's arrest A cat snooping around its new apartment found a hiding place where the previous resident hid a stash of child pornography, police said. Read the full story 2008-01-25 Talking is best Net safeguard, expert advises For parents trying to keep their children cyber-safe, the challenge is growing harder every day: Many children access the web from outside their home, and their parents can't be watching over their shoulder all day long. Read the full story 2008-01-24 Authorities remind parents to monitor children online "With the freedom of the Internet and the new rise in technology online, sexual predators are having an easier time contacting and soliciting children. And local West Texas children are not immune from it." Read the full story 2008-01-24 Assembly panel releases Chivukula Bill to fight online child pornography Legislation Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula sponsored to enable law enforcement to more swiftly combat child pornography on the Internet was released today. Read the news release 2008-01-23 Former FCC chairmen join digital kids task force Common Sense Media, a pro-families group, said Wednesday that it launched a national campaign to help educate parents and teachers about the effect of digital media on kids and teens. The campaign, called the Digital Kids Task Force, will develop education programs, technology to help kids learn online, and a research program to study the Web's impact on children. Read the full story 2008-01-23 Experts to hold talk about how to keep kids safe online Local experts will hold a series of lectures in Davao City to promote safe online experience for the youth, proponents said. Read the full story 2008-01-23 Online cop protects Helena children Det. Bryan Fischer has a new beat. Instead of guarding Helena’s streets, he will be patrolling online sites for Internet crimes against children. Read the full story 2008-01-23 Parents crashing online party "Scott Seigal was awakened one recent early morning by a cell phone text message. It was from his girlfriend's mother..." Read the full article 2008-01-23 FBI report shows 37,000 regularly download child porn An FBI report shows that more than 37,000 Czech Internet users regularly downloaded child pornography over the last three years. Read the full story 2008-01-23 Parents flock to Woomail to protect children online Teens and children are increasingly exposed to pornography and illicit messages via traditional email. Woomail has created a "child proof" alternative that parents are embracing in large numbers. Read the press release 2008-01-23 Coroner baffled at spate of suicides A possible link between social networking sites and a spate of youth suicides in South Wales explored. Read the full story 2008-01-23 Social networking sites claim safety comes first In an article related to the previous one, the safety of online social networking sites is examined. Read the full article 2008-01-22 N.H. high court finds composite photos aren't child porn The New Hampshire State Supreme Court has ruled that sexual images a camp photographer created by combining the faces of teenage girls with women's bodies are not child pornography, overturning the previous conviction. Read the full story 2008-01-22 Frontline tackles Internet-driven generation gap Tonight's Frontline documentary "Growing Up Online" explores the often shaky relationship between today's parents and their wired kids, comparing the current generation gap with the one that separated those same Baby Boomers from their own parents in the '60s. Read the review 2008-01-21 Online junk food adverts ban call A ban on all junk food marketing aimed at children, including online games, is being called for by campaigners. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Children's Food Campaign are calling for the rules on packaging and online marketing to be tightened. Read the full story 2008-01-19 Internet awash with child porn, SA study finds A new study — the first of its kind into child pornography in South Africa — has found that there are more than a million obscene images of children available at the click of a mouse. Read the full story 2008-01-18 Police social Web sites Another opinion column on the recent moves by MySpace to sidestep the regulatory clutches of states by using a multipronged plan to protect its social networking site from bullies and sexual predators. Read the opinion 2008-01-18 WhatTheyPlay.com gives parents the scoop on video games "There's a contradiction in our approach to kids and electronic media: We want parents to supervise their kids and guide their appropriate use of games and media, and at the same time we talk about kids being "digital natives" who understand the gaming world much better than many parents do." A new website called WhatTheyPlay.com attempts to bridge this contradiction. Read the full article 2008-01-18 NDP urges Conservatives to crack down on internet child pornography NDP MP Peter Stoffer is urging Stephen Harper’s Conservatives to adopt the NDP’S plan to put an end to the distribution of child pornography on the internet. Read the press release 2008-01-18 Study: Parents sweat online predators, social sites Two-thirds of parents say that they are uncomfortable with their children participating in online communities, and roughly half of them say that online predators are a threat, according to a new study from the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Read the full story 2008-01-17 Will MySpace deal make Internet safer? "When it comes to protecting children online, these steps will likely have the practical impact equivalent to taking your shoes off as you pass through airport security." A dissenting editorial criticises the recent MySpace deal with 49 state attorneys general. Read the opinion 2008-01-16 Child porn defendant locked up after Zip file encryption broken Government investigators were able to easily break the Zip file encryption that a Texas man allegedly used to conceal illegal images, a recent court case shows. Read the full story 2008-01-16 Pedophiles can find it all online - except help to stop A thoughtful blog article that questions our often muddled responses to pedophilia and child sexual abuse, and argues for treatment over demonisation. Read the full comment 2008-01-14 Parents advised on protecting children from Internet predators “The Internet is a lot like life — there are dangers everywhere,” says David Elliott, an attorney with the Victims and Citizens Services Section of the state Attorney General’s Office. “If you know about the dangers, you can take precautions.” Read the full article 2008-01-14 MySpace agrees to youth protections "The social networking Web site MySpace and the attorneys general for 49 states announced Monday that they had reached an agreement under which MySpace would make a number of changes aimed at protecting teenagers and children using its site from sexual predators." Read the full story 2008-01-14 Texas AG: MySpace safety plan is smoke and mirrors "The Lone Star State is the sole holdout in MySpace.com's comprehensive partnership with the rest of the country's attorneys general, and now Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has come out and explained why." Read the full story 2008-01-11 Rudd targets ID theft, child porn The Australian Government said yesterday the AFP (Australian Federal Police) must refocus on tackling domestic crimes, such as drug importation, counter-terrorism, identity theft and child pornography. Read the full story 2008-01-11 Child abuse films 'traded in NI' Hundreds of films showing the sexual abuse of children are being traded online by people in Northern Ireland, a US special agent has said. Read the full story 2008-01-11 Online expert issues warning for parents Merlyn Horton of SOLOS says that youth have to be educated about the potential dangers of social networking sites such as Nexopia. She goes on to expand on the potential online risks for young people. Read the profile 2008-01-10 MySpace issued subpoena in teen suicide case In the story that keeps on running, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that social network MySpace was issued a subpoena in the investigation of Megan Meier's 2006 suicide. Read the full story 2008-01-10 Tech show tackles what's appropriate (or not) for kids "Author Lisa Guernsey says there's a high-pitch debate about whether childhood is being squandered or set free by today's tech toys." More from the Sandbox Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show. Read the full article 2008-01-10 Dallas police get federal grant to fight online crimes against kids The Dallas Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force received a $225,000 federal grant Thursday. Read the full story 2008-01-09 Parents will see child's school progress online The end of the traditional school report is to be heralded as UK ministers announce plans to give parents daily electronic access to their children's school records. Read the full story 2008-01-09 Would you snoop on your children online? Readers weigh in on the issues highlighted by the previous story from the UK Telegraph. Read the comments 2008-01-08 Conroy wades into child porn net flood Australian Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy faces an uphill struggle in his plans to increase internet censorship by boosting the official blacklist from a puny 1000 web pages to many millions of banned websites. Read the full story 2008-01-08 CES: Sandbox Summit highlights kids and tech A short report on the Sandbox Summit at CES 2008 (Consumer Electronics Show). Read the full post 2008-01-07 Predators Online BBC Panorama: One Click From Danger: "During our investigation into the vulnerability of youngsters online, we found a number of cases in which teenagers and younger children had been approached by predators on social networking sites." Read the full article 2008-01-07 Internet Dos and Don'ts "The internet is a valuable, exciting resource for children and adults alike but, as we've shown in the programme, there are potential dangers associated with its use, especially for children." More from the Panorama show. Read the full article 2008-01-07 Sources of help and information "Below is a list of organisations that can offer help and advice on the issues tackled in Panorama: One Click from Danger." Read the full article 2008-01-07 Supervision is key to keeping children safe online "These sexual predators won't be found on a playground, at the mall or at a park. They are in your home, and they are after your children." Read the full story 2008-01-02 When will kids' online safety be taken seriously? CNET bloggers discuss three often-overlooked, certainly less-publicised, areas in which kids' online safety could be improved. Read the full post 2007-12-18 Nine in 10 Australian families online The family home is increasingly a media-saturated home. A new study has found most Australian families with children older than eight now have three televisions, three mobile phones, a gaming console and internet access. Read the full story 2007-12-18 Mom pushes for Internet harassment laws The mother of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after being taunted online, urged a state task force on Internet harassment Tuesday to recommend criminalizing such behavior. Read the full story 2007-12-18 Texas attorney general reaches agreement with Santa Web site The Texas attorney general’s office on Tuesday reached an agreement with Santa.com to ensure the Web site complies with state and federal law that protects children’s safety. Read the full story 2007-12-17 Seven charged over 'child pornography ring' A former policeman, a swimming instructor and a student teacher are allegedly part of a predatory network that targeted children on the internet for grooming and recruitment into a ring producing child pornography. Read the full story 2007-12-16 Arrests in Spain child porn raids Sixty-three people have been arrested in Spain on suspicion of involvement with child pornography, following raids across the country, officials say. The arrests were the culmination of a two-year investigation focused on internet users in Spain using foreign websites. The operation was carried out with help from US, German and New Zealand police. Read the full story 2007-12-16 This is not child's play Here's a new perspective on kids and online gaming. This avid gamer argues that kids ought not to be playing online games. His reason? Put it this way -- it's not to protect the kids. Read the full piece 2007-12-14 Symantec's Commitment to Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online "Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) is committed to keeping kids safe and secure on the Internet, which is why we launched the Norton Family Online Safety Initiative. Our goal is to educate as many parents and teachers as possible about how they can protect kids while they are on the Internet. We're also reaching out directly to kids." Read the full article 2007-12-14 Less time online makes healthy real life relationships "Children should have a balanced life between the Internet and real friends otherwise it can affect their social skills," argues this article. Read the full article 2007-12-14 New Project Addressing the Sexual Exploitation of Children Online While the Internet opens up a world of knowledge for most people, it is also a doorway which allows those with less honourable intentions to take advantage of vulnerable young users, Radiona Nikova of the State Agency for Child Protection (SACP) argued at a discussion on the possibilities and dangers posed by the Internet community. Read the full article 2007-12-14 Judge: Man can't be forced to divulge encryption passphrase In what could potentially be a landmark Vermont case, judge says thanks to the Fifth Amendment, a child pornography defendant doesn't need to turn over his laptop's PGP passphrase. Read the full story 2007-12-13 Words that hurt - and kill And yet more fallout and thoughtful opinion prompted by the Megan Meier tragedy. This story seems to have hit many nerves. Read the opinion piece 2007-12-13 Shift Away From Ad-Free Has a Price Virtual worlds for children, such as Webkinz.com, are drawing heat from advocacy groups and alert parents for targeting children with movie tie-in ads. Read the full story 2007-12-12 Police issue cyber safety warning to parents In a press release aimed at Australian children embarking on their summer vacations, northern hemisphere residents can still learn from these tips, which are also pertinent to winter holidays. Read the press release 2007-12-12 Protect children from online abuse The suicide last year of 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie should motivate more parents to do what they can to prevent their children from being victims of online predators. Unsupervised access to the Internet places children at risk for abuse in a frightening variety of ways, including cyberbullying and sexual exploitation. Read the opinion piece 2007-12-12 Interpol urges co-operation in child porn fight Because the Internet has no borders, police from around the world need to work together in investigating child pornography, says a police expert from Interpol. Read the full story 2007-12-11 Child porn Net crimes target of workshop Internet crimes against children are on the rise and more must be done to prevent such exploitation and provide support for victims, a conference of police was told yesterday. Read the full story 2007-12-11 Q&A: Chester Writes the Book on Privacy An interview with consumer advocate Jeff Chester, whose group helped lead the battle to pass the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act in 1998. Read the interview 2007-12-11 Tips for Internet safety, from Children's Hospital of Orange County Holiday breaks might mean hours of unmonitored time indoors for children – the perfect opportunity for kids to find trouble on the Internet. Children's Hospital of Orange County provides tips for parents and children on how to avoid dangerous situations online. Read the full article 2007-12-07 OPP to play active role in Child Pornography Provincial Strategy Conference The OPP Child Pornography Section is taking part in an important training conference next week, aimed at enhancing a provincial strategy to protect children from Internet crime that exploits children. Read the press release 2007-12-07 Interview: Texas Attorney General speaks about GamesRadar suit Following up on this morning's announcement about the lawsuit filed against GamesRadar and TheDollPalace, Game|Life spoke with Paco Felici, spokesperson for the Texas Attorney General's office. Read the interview 2007-12-07 Children 'being bombarded with adverts online' A more in-depth look at the UK report on how children can be exploited by targeted online ads. Read the full article 2007-12-06 WiFi going bye-bye? Alternate take on the previous story, in which the blogger raises some legitimate concerns. Read the full post 2007-12-06 Children see porn and gambling adverts online Children as young as seven are being targeted with online advertisements for gambling and pornography. A study by the National Consumer Council found the websites most popular with seven- to 16-year-olds were for gaming, dating and shopping. A quarter of the adverts on these sites had adult content, such as gambling and dating services, and almost the same proportion were integrated into the content. Read the full story 2007-12-06 Wi-Fi 'illegal images' politician defends legislation The Democratic sponsor of a bill forcing anyone with an open Wi-Fi connection to report illegal images--or pay fines of up to $300,000--says a recent Internet outcry over the legislation misses the point. Read the full story 2007-12-05 Texas AG files complaint against Web sites aimed at children Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed two civil complaints in federal district court Wednesday accusing two Web sites aimed at children of failing to protect their users' privacy and safety. Read the full story 2007-12-05 House vote on illegal images sweeps in Wi-Fi, Web sites The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill saying that anyone offering an open Wi-Fi connection to the public must report illegal images including "obscene" cartoons and drawings--or face fines of up to $300,000. Read the full story 2007-12-03 We need Internet controls to stop child pornography One fairly inflammatory opinion: "Child pornography is a curse of the Internet age. Those who produce it, and those who consume it, lurk in the dark shadows of cyberspace, a fertile breeding ground for their evil obsessions. Websites catering to pedophilia proliferate -- despite the well-intentioned efforts of Internet service providers to block them." Read the full opinion 2007-12-03 Bill to tighten laws on child abuse, pornography A wide-ranging Bill which came before the Maltese Parliament this evening will tighten existing laws against the sexual exploitation of children, including cases where the offender abuses from a recognised position of trust, authority or influence. Read the full story 2007-12-03 Teens take bullying to the Internet, study finds Hateful text messages, abusive e-mails and cyber-gossip are giving bullies new power over their victims -- even in the supposed safety of their own homes, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Read the full story 2007-12-03 Researchers: e-mail, instant messaging are favourite tools of cyber harassers E-mail and instant messaging — not social networking sites such as MySpace — are the top ways adults and kids are bullied online, according to Internet experts. Read the full story 2007-12-01 Parents warned of predators using text, Web As sexual predators increase their use of text messaging and the Internet to lure young prey, there are ways parents can help police protect children from being targets of online child molesters. Read the full story 2007-11-30 MySpace profile sets convicted felon free CNET's Police Blotter feature investigates the reversal of a 40-year conviction for a man initially found guilty of molesting two girls. The reason for the reversal? Two jurors in the original trial apparently searched for an alleged victim's MySpace profile. Read the full analysis 2007-11-30 Spy on your kids online? Part 1 in a student debate over the effectiveness of parents spying on their kids online. This instalment argues for parents strictly monitoring their children's online activity. Read the full opinion 2007-11-30 Spy on your kids online? Part 2 in a student debate over the effectiveness of parents spying on their kids online. This instalment argues against parents strictly monitoring their children's online activity. Read the full opinion 2007-11-29 Seminar helps protect children online Think like a creep. That's the only way to protect children from online predators, local technology consultant Jane Jude told parents and their daughters at a seminar Tuesday night. Read the full story 2007-11-28 Study seeks answer to actual cyberbullying threat A study was recently started with the intention of drawing attention to incidents of cyberbullying, which other reports have concluded to have grown more frequent. Read the full story 2007-11-28 Manitobans may face fines, jail for not reporting child porn Manitobans could be the first Canadians to face jail time and fines for failing to report suspected cases of child pornography. Read the full story 2007-11-28 Internet bullying turning increasingly dangerous Cyberbullying appears to be the current topic du jour following the media storm surrounding the tragic death of Megan Meier. Here is a provocative Opinion piece from Cal State's student newspaper. Read the full piece 2007-11-28 Phoenix news team "investigates" new teachers' MySpace pages Level headed blog posting on a frankly ridiculous "exclusive CBS investigation" into new teachers' private lives (as made public on social networking sites). Raises interesting questions about what is public and what is private when it comes to such sites. Read the blog posting 2007-11-27 Summit covers protecting children online "Mary Kozakiewiez found out just how real online predators were in the time it took to serve dessert after a family dinner on New Year's Day in 2002..." Read the full story 2007-11-27 Extent, effects of kids' cyberbullying debated As many as one in three U.S. children have been ridiculed or threatened through computer messages, according to one estimate of the emerging problem of cyberbullying. Read the full story 2007-11-26 Town bans Net harassment following MySpace hoax Amid continued outcry over the MySpace.com hoax that preceded a teenager's suicide, the town of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., has passed a law banning online harassment. Read the full story 2007-11-26 Protecting Children Online The impact of Megan Meier's death is being felt in many ways. This story acknowledges that on a local level, but also includes some extensive video information. Read the full story 2007-11-22 How to catch an online predator An interesting profile of an undercover online investigator of people who prey on children via the Internet. Read the full article 2007-11-21 Time to end the digital 'arms race' of parental spying? The second instalment of a CBS Evening News report investigates the growing "cold war" between concerned yet overzealous parents and their teenaged children. Read the full story 2007-11-21 Cyber-bullying: One family's tragic story Another day, another story about a teenager driven to suicide by cyberbullying (intro only). Read the intro 2007-11-21 New survey on Internet safety reveals parents not spending enough time with kids online A new survey of children’s Internet habits reveals an alarming gap between what parents say they are teaching their children about Internet safety and the reality of what they are doing to ensure their kids are practicing these measures. Read the press release 2007-11-20 Law to protect privacy of kids using the web The government of Thailand will soon announce a new regulation to protect the privacy of people under the age of 18 on the internet. The regulation will be issued under Article 27 of the Child Protection Act, which prohibits the advertising or revealing of children's information in a way that would damage their mental well-being or reputation, or take advantage of them. Read the full story 2007-11-20 School bullies increasingly tormenting victims online Until a few years ago, bullying was largely confined to the school playground and the classroom. But now bullies have found another means of intimidation -- the Internet. Read the full story 2007-11-20 Controversy brews over online kids safety bill Kids online safety advocates got their hackles up last week after the passage of a House bill that aims to channel $25 million over five years to one provider of online safety materials. Critics say that the measure is unfair to other child safety organizations and could impede competition and promote mediocrity in the field. Read the full story 2007-11-20 Parents warned about cyber-bullying Parents are being urged to educate their children about the threat of online bullies as part of national Anti-Bullying Week in the UK. Read the full story 2007-11-19 Pornography now a billion-dollar industry The advancement of video and computer technology has turned pornography into a billion dollar industry in [the Philippines]. This was pointed out by Senator Bong Revilla, chairman of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, as he expressed alarm over the exposure of young people to obscenity through the Internet. Read the full story 2007-11-19 Author unveils world of predators As police crack down on child porn rings, online social networks offer personal information that makes it easier to lure children, said an author who studied the crime. Read the full story 2007-11-19 Parents: Cyber Bullying Led to Teen's Suicide </