News Release - Attorney General Hosts Adult CyberSafety Presentation in Capital City

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Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

November 4, 2009

en Español

Print Version

Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Attorney General Hosts Adult CyberSafety Presentation in Capital City

~ Presentation teaches parents how to protect their children on the internet ~

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Attorney General Bill McCollum hosted a CyberSafety presentation for parents, teachers and guardians to educate them about how to keep their children safe online. The 50-minute presentation walks participants through what children may be exposed to while online and tactics internet predators use, as well as tips for talking to children about safe internet use. The event, the first of its kind to be hosted for parents, was held at Leon High School in Tallahassee.

"More than ever, we need to work with parents and teachers to better protect our children from internet predators," said Attorney General McCollum. "Education can be our greatest asset in the fight to keep our children safe online."

In addition to covering topics like chat programs, sexting, and how to tell if a child is being groomed by an internet predator, the program included step-by-step instructions parents can use to check their computer for website browsing history, files recently downloaded, and internet files saved to the computer’s hard drive. The Attorney General also sent parents home with a checklist of potential danger areas online to discuss with their children, and noted that not only are internet chat rooms potential access points for predators, but that popular video games can also have chat features, as can online games designed for very young children.

To date, the Attorney General’s Office has reached over half a million students throughout Florida with a CyberSafety program for middle and high school students. The student presentation combines real-life stories and examples to help students identify ways they could be victimized by predators online and how to avoid becoming a victim. Members of the Attorney General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit have been bringing the 50-minute CyberSafety program students statewide since 2007.

More information about protecting children from internet predators is available online at: http://www.safeflorida.net. Parents, teachers, and even companies can also request the adult cybersafety presentation from the Attorney General's Office.