Myspace and general internet safety rules for kids and teens:

1. Remember your profile is on a public forum- do not post any private information you wouldn’t want other people getting ahold of, such as your address, phone number, last name, or anything specific that may give away where you are located.

2. People can mislead you easily on the internet. Predators use the internet because it is very easy to appear to be someone that you aren’t. The internet allows people to become other people and gain trust. It doesn’t matter if you see a picture of that person. It may not be them. Never assume someone you come into contact with online is who they say they are unless you or a friend of yours actually knows them in person.

3. Don’t lie about your age. Myspace will delete your profile immediately if they find out you have done this. This is for safety. Predators will often mislead kids into thinking they are younger then they really are. And kids who lie that they are older then they really are, are putting themselves at risk for becoming a victim of an internet predator. Don’t do it, it’s not worth it.

4. Report any unwanted attention, harassment, inappropriate content, or anything suspicious to MySpace immediately. Due to the enormous amount of users on this site, MySpace cannot monitor and catch everything they should. So report it and bring it to their attention.

5. Any stranger you talk to on the internet is just that, a stranger! Any information you give to them that might seem harmless to you, may be just enough information to help them figure out where you are. Never disclose any personal information about yourself, including information you may think is harmless. Just be careful what you say.

6. if someone a lot older wants to befriend you, and you don't know who they are, think about it for a second. Why would this adult want to be friends with someone your age? Usually adults will not go out of their way on the internet to make friends with children, because there are too many sickos out there. So think before you add someone much older then you as a friend.

And Tips for Parents:

1. If you are going to allow your child to use this site or other sites such as this one, then it is a good idea to talk to them about the dangers of the internet.

2. Talk to your kids about internet predators and some of the ways they try and gain children’s trust. It is very important to talk to your kids before they venture out on their own, and most kids don’t know how to protect themselves and be safe on the internet.

3. Tell them what they shouldn’t put on there, such as personal information, and certain inappropriate pictures or comments. Remind them that unless they put their profile as private, ANYONE, can see their profile, and the pictures and content on it.

4. Remind them to be truthful about their age when on MySpace. MySpace is NOT meant for children under the age of 14. If your child is under 14 and is using the site, this is against the rules and MySpace will have their account deleted. This rule is supposed to help keep kids safe.

Some Websites You Should Know:

http://www.missingkids.com/

www.cybertipline.com National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The Cyber Tipline

This tipline was founded in 1998 in order to help find missing and exploited children. On the site it gives tips for safety on the internet and statistics about the types of incidents that occur yearly. Because of a law passed in 1999, internet service providers are now required to report any child exploitation and/or pornography directly to this tipline.

Here are just some of the categories that may be reported to the cyber tipline, taken directly from the cyber tipline site:

• Possession, Manufacture, and Distribution of child pornography • Online Enticement of children for sexual acts • Prostitution of children • Child sexual molestation (not in the family) • Unsolicited Obscene material sent to a child- may be reported to: www.obscenitycrimes.org • Misleading Domain name- may be reported to: www.obscenitycrimes.org

http://www.nsopr.gov/ The National Sex Offender Public Registry- This site allows you to search your area and others for known sex offenders, HOWEVER IT DOES HAVE CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BEFORE USING THE SITE.

Here are some Resources for Teens and parents: Netsmartz A site designed to help teach parents how to teach their kids about internet safety

HDOP- Help Delete Online Predators Another site for cybertipline.com

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm parent’s guide to internet safety from the FBI

Monitoring Software- Software4parents.com K9webprotection.com

For Teens: For Teenagers- Don’t Believe the Type- A site for teens to learn how to stay safe while on the internet SafeTeens.com WebWiseKids.org BlogSafety.com Common Sense Media

For Anyone: Getnetwise.com Wiredsafety.org The Child Safety Network

SecuritySaint.com is knowledgeable and concerned with the up rise in crime in all areas (including the internet) of the U.S. Constantly learning/researching new and tried and true methods to protect individuals, families and households. http://www.securitysaint.com helping Americans protect themselves.