Parents today have the very difficult task of trying to keep up with technology that their children are exposed to everyday at school and at home.  Online safety is a growing concern in many families as stories all over the world have surfaced of online predators seeking adolescent children online.  Many of these predators can use Social Networking sites like Myspace and Facebook to find teens and children to interact with.  Often times they will disguise themselves as teens themselves and attempt to meet in person with sometimes fatal consequences. 

In order to keep your children and teens safe online, it is important first to realize the online predatory epidemic that is growing in the United States.  The following statistics are courtesy of netsmartz.org...

*Teens have established significant presence on social networking web pages: 61% of 13- to 17-year-olds have a personal profile on a site such as MySpace, Friendster, or Xanga. Half have also posted pictures of themselves online.

*Older teens (16-17s) and girls especially use the Internet for social interaction, meeting friends, and networking.

*71% reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know.

*45% have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know.

*30% have considered meeting someone that they’ve only talked to online

*14% have actually met a person face-to-face they they’ve only spoken to over the Internet (9% of 13-15s; 22% of 16-17s).

These statistics can paint an ominous picture for any parent. At C.C.I. we offer a variety of ways to help keep your child or teen safe online.  Contact C.C.I. today to speak with a technician for more information.