Look Both Ways by Linda Criddle
In her book, Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet, Internet child-safety authority, Linda Criddle, uses real-life examples to explain Internet risks. Then she gives simple, practical advice about how to steer clear of the dangers and make your Internet travels the fun they can be.
A dozen things you can do today to get safer online. Every chapter in Look Both Ways is packed with advice.
Check out more information about her book and others by this author at: http://look-both-ways.com/default.aspx
Web Safety and Youth
From today's Washington Post, we have the following information about what teens post on their web profiles (MySpace, FaceBook, whatever):
82% include their first name.
79% post photos of themselves.
66% include photos of their friends.
61% include the name of their city.
49% include the name of their school.
40% have included an instant-message screen name.
40% stream audio to the profile.
39% link to a blog.
29% include an e-mail address.
29% included their last name.
29% post videos.
2% include a cellphone number.
66% of teens who have profiles say their profile is not visible to all Internet users.
46% of teens whose profiles can be accessed by anyone say they give false information on their profiles, sometimes to protect themselves.
49% of social network users say they use the sites to make friends.
23% of teens who have been contacted by a stranger online say they felt scared or uncomfortable because of the encounter. (That translates to 7 percent of all online teens.)
SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Cindy Cleveringa
9/30/2008