While
the challenges have changed, our responsibility remains the same – and
that is to protect our children in every way that we can.

Let's
take a look at some of those safety challenges. The prevalence of the
Internet and other new modes of communication means that one bad choice
made by our kids now could have a lasting impact on them. Look no
further than the recent "sexting" cases that have arisen during the
course of the last few months as examples. In one case, a13-year-old
girl took a partially-nude photo of herself with her cell phone camera
and then forwarded that photo onto a boyfriend via text message. What
was a bad choice to begin with was compounded when that image was
forwarded on to many other kids throughout her school. She has now lost
all control of her image, can never fully recover it, and will never
know when it could reappear.

The anonymity of the Internet also
presents serious dangers to our kids. Our office has seen numerous
cases in which children have willingly provided personal information
about themselves to strangers over the Internet. Even more ominously,
some have even made arrangements to meet those strangers in person.
These seemingly innocent mistakes by our children could have
potentially lifelong and oftentimes tragic consequences.

A
recent survey conducted by Emerson Hospital illustrates the troubling
predicament we as parents face. The study, which surveyed 8,000 middle
and high school students, revealed that more than 24% of high school
students reported having given information about themselves over the
Internet to someone with whom they had never met (19.5% of eighth
graders had done so). According to the same survey, 14.8% of high
school students reported having met someone in person with whom they
had initially contacted online (13.6% of eighth graders and 12.8% of
sixth graders reported doing so).

There is no doubt that, as
these technologies become more prevalent, a growing number of our kids
are engaging in this kind of risky behavior at younger and younger ages.

So, what can parents do? Here are some recommendations.

Educate yourself

While
keeping up with technological trends may seem daunting to even the most
technologically savvy among us, it is absolutely vital that parents
know what our kids are doing, who they are talking to, and how they are
communicating. Websites such as NetSmartz.org and Wiredsafety.org have
important information to help parents educate themselves about the
latest safety trends. We at the Middlesex District Attorney's Office
also offer trainings to parents, teachers and student in communities
throughout the county on Internet Safety. If you would like to schedule
a training in your community, please contact our office at 781-897-6800.

Talk to your kids

Keeping
an open line of communication with your children is a fundamental tenet
that never goes out of style. With the explosion of the Internet and
other technologies, it is more important now than ever that you are
engaged and communicating with your children about these issues. You
must constantly be asking questions. Find out what they are doing
online. Ask them whom they are talking to. Ask them to spend some time
and walk you through their social networking site of choice. Make sure
that they know not to provide any personal information to someone who
they don't know. Explain to them the dangers of sending any images of
themselves out over the Internet or via text message. Keeping a strong
line of communication open now can go a long way in preventing your
child from making mistakes in the future.

Set Limits

We
are our children's parents before we are their friends. That means that
we must be willing to set strict ground rules for our children's cell
phone and Internet use. Among the strategies that we recommend is
placing the family computer in an open room, like the living room,
rather than allowing unsupervised access to a computer in your child's
bedroom. If your children use laptops, the same rules still apply.
Explain to them that a condition of using a computer is that you will
be periodically checking their browsing history and MySpace or Facebook
pages. If you believe your child needs a cell phone, consider giving
them a phone without camera capabilities or set a condition that you
will be reviewing their photos periodically. Engage age-appropriate
parental controls on your home computer, such as logging and filtering.
While your child may not always like these rules, remind them that this
isn't about punishing them, it's about protecting them because we love
them.

There is no greater priority for any of us as parents
than keeping our kids safe. The challenges will continue to evolve, but
by continuing to be engaged and proactive in dealing with these issues,
we can all better protect our children in the Internet Age.

Gerry Leone is the District Attorney of Middlesex County.