U.S. Attorney Reaches Out To Kansas Schools
With Tips On Keeping Kids Safe On The Internet
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom has written to school administrators across the state with advice on how to keep children safe on the Internet, he announced today.
“I am asking educators to help us protect Kansas students from the many hazards they face online,” Grissom said.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 13 percent of elementary-aged children have received some type of sexual solicitation through the Internet.
“In Kansas, that would equal roughly 42,000 children who have been approached sexually on the Internet,” Grissom said.
Grissom has posted links to Internet safety tips on the U.S. Attorney’s Web site at www.justice.gov/usao/ks . Find the Project Safe Childhood logo on the right side of the page and click on “Learn More.”
Here are some of the tips:
– Do not post personal information online such as name, age, date of birth, address, telephone number or name of your school.
– Do not post pictures of you or your family online. They can be copied or changed and used to find you.
– Do not send any inappropriate photo or message by email or text.
– Do not post your plans and activities in a chat room or on your personal website. Do not post entries that make it clear no one is at your home.
“I am urging parents and caregivers to talk about Internet safety with their children so that every Kansas child will be better protected from online predators,” Grissom said.
Grissom said educators who have questions should contact him or Kim Martin, the district’s Project Safe Childhood coordinator, at 913-551-6730.
More information about the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood is available at www.justice.gov/psc/
