We recently had an extremely informative presentation by Sgt. Josh Moulins, of the Central Point High Tech Crime lab.  Sgt. Moulins shared information about social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc) and how they can be used and misused by children and adults who prey on children.  He offered tips on how to keep children safe when using these sites, including:

Keep computers with Internet access in common areas of your home, not in your    child’s bedroom.

Know where your child goes on the Internet, who they talk to and what they are saying.

Use available filtering software that tracks activity on your computer.

Learn the net language.

Establish Internet rules: what sites, who is okay to talk to, how long your child can be on line, where your child can use the Internet (home, school, library, friends’)

Two websites he suggested that offer more information are:  www.wiredsafety.org and www.savechildhood.org

Today’s children are much more computer and Internet literate than the majority of their parents and educators, but often they lack the maturity and experience to keep themselves safe on line.  The adults in their lives need to become educated to provide that safety net.

We plan to host another informative evening with Sgt. Moulins this spring.  Please watch for information on date and time of that presentation.

Sheila Henson