VECTEC offers class on protecting children on the Internet

News Release - Nov. 21, 2006

Public's contact for publication:
Marty McCoy
(757) 594-7092

Media contact:
Karen L. Gill
Office of Communications and Public Relations
(757) 594-8428

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — If your child is visiting MySpace, FaceBook, or even sending Instant Messages, they could be facing serious risks. These sites are often cyber secrets that teenagers keep from their parents. Children may not realize that anyone with Internet access, including sexual predators, may see the pictures and personal information they post. While the Internet allows a child to explore new worlds and expand their horizons, it can also expose them to grave dangers.
   
One-third of all children ages 10-17 were exposed to unwanted pornography on the Internet. One in seven children received an unwanted online sexual solicitation. Those facts, from a study conducted for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, point to a need for parents to do all they can to protect their children from Internet predators.

In spite of these alarming statistics, an estimated 62 percent of teens say their parents know little or nothing about their Internet activities. Twenty percent of parents don’t monitor their children’s use of the Internet at all, and 71 percent stop monitoring their child’s use of the Internet after a child turns 14.  

The Virginia Electronic Commerce Technology Center (VECTEC) at Christopher Newport University is offering a class to help parents protect their children and to provide information to parents on controls that can be put in place to make the Internet safer.

In the class, “Protecting Your Kids on the Internet,” parents will learn about the signs that could point to their child being at risk when they use the computer. Parents will learn what to do if they suspect their child is communicating with a sexual predator, and they will learn ways to minimize the chances of someone victimizing their child.

 The class will be 7 to 9 p.m., Dec. 5, in the CNU Student Center – Alumni Room 150. Cost is $15 per person or $20 per couple.

 To register for classes, go to www.vectec.org/registration.  For more information, call (757) 594-7092.