Online Safety
A message from...
Assemblyman
Steven Cymbrowitz

Dear Friend:

The Internet is an everyday part of our lives. Most of us use it to check the news, shop, pay bills or keep in touch. Kids especially surf the Web for school, to keep up with friends, for gaming and to track the latest trends, whether they’re on a smartphone or computer.

Connecting online can open new worlds, but using the Internet also has risks. Pedophiles use computer bulletin boards to lure children and adolescents for sex and sexually oriented conversations, developing or “grooming” a relationship with a child. In order to protect children, the Assembly passed stringent laws that target sexual predators. It’s also important for families to pay attention to how their children use the Web and be aware of the hazards kids may face online.

This pamphlet highlights some of the potential dangers and offers tips on how to ensure your children stay safe while using the Internet. If I can be of further assistance in this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,
signature
Steven Cymbrowitz
Member of Assembly

1800 Sheepshead Bay Road
Brooklyn, NY 11235
718-743-4078

Room 627, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
cymbros@assembly.state.ny.us


It’s the law

Authorities have become increasingly aware of pedophiles that use computer bulletin boards aimed at youths to engage children and teens in sexually oriented conversations, attempting to entice unsuspecting kids into their lurid world. In the most serious cases, the pedophile will try to arrange a meeting with the victim. But even when this doesn’t occur, these deviants invite or con victims into graphic, self-revealing conversations and other actions, while posing as a friend.

To prevent predators from victimizing children on the Internet, the Assembly passed laws that:

While New York State law punishes abusers and brings them to justice, you must remember that parents are always their children’s first line of defense.


Protecting your children

If you have a computer connected to an online service, or if your child has wireless access or uses a hookup at the home of a friend or relative, warn your child about the dangers of trusting a stranger he or she meets in cyberspace. Just because a person appears to be a friendly pen pal your child’s age, it doesn’t mean that’s who’s on the other end of the connection.

Warn your child to tell you about any message that makes him or her uncomfortable. You should also warn your child never to give personal information such as his or her address, phone number or school to someone online. And be aware yourself. Adults can also be victims. There are numerous police warnings of scam artists working the Internet, offering pyramid and get-rich schemes, phony stock deals and other con games.

Reduce risk—talk to your kids*

In a 2005 national poll of 1,468 U.S. teens and tweens, ages 8-18, The Polly Klaas® Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to finding missing children and preventing their abduction, found that youths frequently take risks with their personal information online, communicating with people they don’t know. In addition, significantly more teenage girls than boys share personal information online and get questioned aboutsex.

Further, the U.S. Department of Justice 2010 report to Congress noted that Internet and digital technology advances have provided fertile ground for child pornography offenders to share, produce, advertise and sell child pornography.

If your children are communicating with people they’ve never met using instant messaging, email or a chat room, they can be in jeopardy. Letting your kids know you care and what precautions they should take to protect themselves can save a lot of heartache. The following guidelines may help:

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*Source: “Keeping Kids Safer on the Internet,” National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Copyright 2006

Parents be aware

Your child may be receiving inappropriate messages or materials via a computer modem or online service. The following are several potential danger signs:

For more information


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