Internet safety meeting will focus on avoiding Internet predators
Posted on Friday, November 21, 2008
FORT SMITH — An upcoming Child Internet Safety Summit will help parents and others protect children with access to the internet, U. S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., said.
The summit will be from 10 a. m. to 1 p. m. today at the Creekmore Community Center in Fort Smith, Boozman said.
The event will allow him to receive feedback, share information, and encourage collaboration among people who play an active role in preventing online exploitation, and to talk about steps which can be taken in the future to improve such efforts, he said.
Law enforcement officials, industry leaders, and child safety advocates will discuss what efforts they have taken to keep our children safe while online and what needs to be done, he said.
“ This time we’re going to have the Fort Smith Police Department participate. They’re really on the cutting edge and one of the leaders in apprehending criminals on the internet. Cox Communications — their internet safety specialist is going to be there. Colleen Nick, from the Morgan Nick Foundation... and... Hoyt Harness, who is the Arkansas State Police internet person (will also attend ). Arkansas is really blessed. We’re on the cutting edge having police departments or state police do a tremendous job seeking these people out and apprehending them, protecting our young people, ” Boozman said.
Once, concerns about a child’s safety didn’t need to go much farther than admonitions to them to be careful not to talk to strangers. Now, safety on the internet has to be a major concern, and having a public, ongoing conservation with internet safety experts is a necessity, said Boozman.
“ A parent has to be concerned with the fact that now the whole world is coming into their den or into a child’s bedroom every night, through the internet. So we have to give them (children ) the new rules. Instead of telling them not to get in a car with a stranger, we have to tell them: You don’t give out your name, you don’t give out your address — just basic things that the young people don’t know. Sadly,... a lot of this information is just not being disseminated, ” Boozman said.
He hopes the event will continue a dialogue on the subject, help people get useful information, and introduce parents and others to many sources of information on internet safety, the congressman said.
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