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Smart Parents, Safe Kids

NCJ Number
191775
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 49 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 35-37
Author(s)
Lynn Atkinson-Tovar
Date Published
April 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
"Smart Parents, Safe Kids.com" is a program intended to minimize the victimization of children through the Internet, as it offers free educational seminars geared toward parental awareness on the dangers associated with the Internet.
Abstract
The program was initially introduced to a suburb of Chicago, IL., in the fall of 1998. It has received several awards, including first place in the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award for community programs. Program objectives are to develop parental competence and awareness that can counter child exploitation, sexual abuse, pornography, and the accessibility of antisocial material associated with preteen and teen children from direct use of the Internet. This objective is achieved by providing information and visual examples of possible violence associated with the use of the Internet. Multidisciplinary instruction ensures that experts and qualified educators are providing accurate and useful information through effective teaching techniques. The anticipated program outcome is parental knowledge about the dangers associated with unsupervised and unprotected use of the Internet by their children. This community/police program consists of a 2-hour period of instruction in which participants are instructed on the history of the Internet, protective software, the elements of an Internet-related criminal investigation, and the antisocial behaviors associated with excessive use of the Internet. After parents participate in the program, they will be able to implement immediately protective measures at home to help ensure the safety and welfare of their children.