What’s Bared Online, STAYS Online

Its rare that the antics of why-are-they-famous celebs like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian draw my attention.  But Hilton’s emotional interview with Piers Morgan did.

For those who missed it, Ms. Hilton (and her mother) appeared on Morgan’s show and, when asked about the sex tape that appeared on the internet several years ago, seemed to express honest regret.  But as Ms. Hilton and Ms. Kardashian know, there’s no way to unring that bell.

The hard fact is:  what goes online, stays online. Its a lesson most parents of e-generation kids such as myself struggle to teach our children.  Sadly, most tweens and teens are resistant to the message.  At that age its notoriously difficult to think beyond the moment.

My unscientific survey of other parents suggests that the most effective approach seems to involve a difficult to achieve balance between repetitively educating kids about the risks, heavily monitoring the kids’ online activity, and harsh punitive measures for violations of the rules.

So what are the rules?  There are lots of good sites about internet safety.  Oddly enough, one that I like comes from the Federal Trade Commission.  Go figure!  The FTC site lists some dos and don’ts and, equally important, has a collection of some of the better internet safety resources online.  The full FTC site is here (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm).

Below is an excerpt from the FTC site:

The FTC suggests these tips for socializing safely online:

For More Information To learn more about staying safe online, visit the following organizations:

Federal Trade Commission —

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit

or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

The FTC manages

, which provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

GetNetWise —

GetNetWise is a public service sponsored by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition wants Internet users to be just “one click away” from the resources they need to make informed decisions about their and their family’s use of the Internet.

Internet Keep Safe Coalition —

iKeepSafe.org, home of Faux Paw the Techno Cat, is a coalition of 49 governors/first spouses, law enforcement, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other associations dedicated to helping parents, educators, and caregivers by providing tools and guidelines to teach children the safe and healthy use of technology. The organization’s vision is to see generations of children worldwide grow up safely using technology and the Internet.

i-SAFE —

Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place. Join them today in the fight to safeguard children’s online experience.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children —

;

NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization that helps prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; helps find missing children; and assists victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

National Crime Prevention Council —

;

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to enable people to create safer and more caring communities by addressing the causes of crime and violence and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur. Among many crime prevention issues, NCPC addresses Internet Safety with kids and parents through www.mcgruff.org and public service advertising under the National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign — symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog® and his “Take A Bite Out Of Crime®.”

National Cyber Security Alliance —

NCSA is a non-profit organization that provides tools and resources to empower home users, small businesses, and schools, colleges, and universities to stay safe online. A public-private partnership, NCSA members include the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Trade Commission, and many private-sector corporations and organizations.

staysafe —

staysafe.org is an educational site intended to help consumers understand both the positive aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of safety and security issues that exist online.

Wired Safety —

WiredSafety.org is an Internet safety and help group. Comprised of unpaid volunteers around the world, WiredSafety.org provides education, assistance, and awareness on all aspects of cybercrime and abuse, privacy, security, and responsible technology use. It is also the parent group of Teenangels.org, FBI-trained teens and preteens who promote Internet safety.