Wednesday, November 29, 2006

check out the spying on your kids piece with Parry and Cindy Hsu on CBS.

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=93954@wcbs.dayport.com

Nickelodeon special on cybersafety features Parry and the Teenangels

Source: Nickelodeon


Nick News Explores the Perils of Living in an Online World
Monday November 27, 1:06 pm ET
Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Online and In Danger? How to Protect Yourself in the Virtual World
Airs Sunday December 10, 8:30 P.M. ET/PT on Nickelodeon


NEW YORK, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-five million American kids have been -- or are -- online. The number is staggering, but even more startling is that, according to recent data gathered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 71% of teens online have received personal messages from someone they don't know, 45% have been asked for personal information from a stranger; 34% have had unwanted or unsolicited exposure to inappropriate images; 20% have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet, 30% have considered meeting in person someone they met online, while 14% have actually done so. Approximately one million kids have received an aggressive sexual solicitation: someone asking to meet in person, calling on the telephone or sending snail mail, money or gifts. Yet fewer than one in five kids who have experienced any of the above, have told a parent or guardian.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061127/NYM177 )

Source: Nickelodeon

· Linda Ellerbee, host of Nick News.
· Click Here to Download Image




Nick News with Linda Ellerbee explores the problem and looks at solutions in Online and In Danger? How to Protect Yourself in the Virtual World, airing Sunday, December 10 at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon. Kids and experts such as Ernie Allen, President & CEO of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Parry Aftab, founder of WiredSafety weigh in on social networking sites, and the ways predators try to get at kids. Cyber cops explain what they do, what "grooming" is, and how online predators are groomed themselves. We visit with The TeenAngels, 13-18 year-old volunteers trained in online privacy and security. They visit schools, and run a website, spreading the word -- from kids to kids -- about how to live, learn, and play safely online.

"For a lot of kids, the virtual world is their playground, recreation center, arcade, and mall. Going online isn't something they do, it's somewhere they are," said Ellerbee. "The goal of this show is not to scare kids offline or encourage parents to unplug computers, but to help kids better understand and use this evolving technology, and show them ways to protect themselves in the process."

Approximately 65% of all teens have visited some kind of social networking site such as MySpace, Facebook or Xanga, according to a CBSNews.com poll. In Online and In Danger?, kids explain why they go on these sites, what types of information they're posting, and other ways they use the Internet. They also tell stories of close encounters or actual experiences with online abuse.

Nick News, celebrating its 15th year, is the longest-running kids' news show in television history, and has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. In 2005, it won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming for its show, From the Holocaust to the Sudan. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with physical disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2004, two Nick News Specials, "The Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and AIDS" and "There's No Place Like Home," a special about homeless kids in America, were both nominated for the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy. In fact, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of three Peabody Awards, including a personal one given to Ellerbee for her coverage, for kids, of the President Clinton investigation; two Columbia duPont Awards; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for more than eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA - News, VIA.B - News).




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Source: Nickelodeon

Friday, November 24, 2006

Thanksgiving....what I am thankful for this year...

this year has been very different from past years, at least as far as cybersafety is concerned. This year parents are attending seminars and conferences and presentations in droves. This year schools are putting cybersafety at the top of their lists, understanding that school violence is often the result of a cyberaltercation or offline violence may move online. Kids and teens themselves are more worried about their safety and that of their loved ones, especially younger siblings.

Why is this year different?

Two things - MySpace (and similar sites) and Dateline's To Catch A Predator with Chris Hansen.

I've been doing this for ten years, and only now are all the pieces falling into place. Before parents would brush off our concerns with "Not my kid!". Now their kids are posing on myspace in their bras (or less). Before they thought that cyberpredators were few and far between. Now they have met many in the kitchen of set houses with Chris Hansen on camera.

So, how can we get things moving the right way? It's time to get info out there everyone can understand. It's time ot "Take Back the Net!"

Our new wiredmoms program will create an army of moms to help each other protect their kids and ALL kids online.

it's starting...

I wonder what I will be thankful for next year. :-)

stay safe,
Parry

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The 3Gs...gangs, gambling and guns online

I tell parents to think about the 3Cs (content, contact and cost), the 4Ps (privacy, predators, porn and piracy) and now am telling them to think about the 3Gs (gangs, guns and gambling online).

Bottomline, anything that can go wrong in life can go wrong online, sometimes in a magnified way.

Everyone needs to remember what our parents taught us and grandparents taught them. There is a difference between right and wrong. And wrong can look like fun (and sometimes is if you don't consider the consequences and the hurt to others). But we need to remember that staying safer online requires our kids to use the "filter between their ears."

work on it.

Parry

Gangs online....

What used to be limited to the large inner cities has now expanded to our local neighborshoods in suburbia. Our upper middle class kids are being seduced by gangs, and at least one teen girl ran off to meet a gang member in LA.

How many parents understand this risk?

Gang divisions are now also checking the myspace and youtube profiles for gang activities. I recommend that parents address gangs with their kids. It's a risk they never dreamed they might face, but with the advent of glamourous videos professionally shot and available online and when kids are searching for gansta rap videos and finding real gans instead....the gang life might look like fun, instead of what it is.

think about it.

Parry

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Cracking the code of teens' IM slang | CNET News.com

At teenangels.org teens can submit new acronyms and chatter lingo terms, and parents can decode them. There is more to this than just accessing your kids e-mails. You have to understand what you read :-)Cracking the code of teens' IM slang | CNET News.com

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Monday, November 06, 2006

Texas prosecutor commits suicide - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

A man committed suicide before the police arrive with the arrest warrant. He was an assistant district attorney. This man was not the first to committ suicide when being charged with a child Internet sex crime. In the Avalanche case, many charged with trading child porn committed suicide. While NBC will never state the fact that this shows how those we never dreamed would be a predator are often the predators...and instead indicated that they had not ocmmunicated with this man (who did not show up at the house with the other predators) - it does just that.
Texas prosecutor commits suicide - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Teenangels.org - Official Blog: shutting down the news feed on facebook...to keep your info from being broadcast

teens helping keep others safer online...want to know how to turn off the mini-feed at facebook so your information isn't broadcast to everyone? This teen from Atlanta shared this with us.Teenangels.org - Official Blog: shutting down the news feed on facebook...to keep your info from being broadcast

I am the parent!

too often parents get caught up in the technology stuff and forget that it comes down to old fashioned parenting.THERECORD.COM | INSIDER | Parents must play active role in child's Internet use, expert says

my xanga blog...


http://www.xanga.com/ParryAftab

my "do not disturb" button

I have been talking about wanting the social networks and web 2.0 companies to create a do not disturb button option, that would prevent anyone from being able to contact you. They couldn't poke you, ask to be your friend, etc.

It’s a basic account setting, right on your main settings page:

http://www.xanga.com/private/editaccount.aspx
“Invites: Accept Invites from other Xangans - yes/no”

Here’s a quick description:
http://help.xanga.com/invitesetting.htm

It appears that Xanga already had one. :-)

11Alive.com - Atlanta,Georgia,11Alive,ATLANTA,News,Weather,Doppler,sports,events

The uncut interview of Parry on a recent speaking engagement in Atlanta by11Alive.com - Atlanta,Georgia,11Alive,ATLANTA,News,Weather,Doppler,sports,events

not sure how to shut down the news feed about your facebook profile? this was written by a great teen in Atlanta. thanks!

1. Go to "My Privacy" which is the last option on the button bar on the left hand of facebook pages.

2. Scroll down until you reach "News Feed and Mini-Feed" and click on the "edit settings" link which is below it.

3. You can read about the feed and also UNCHECK selections to remove information on your mini-feed.

4. When you are finished with this, click "save changes" and you are all set!

Zango, Inc. Settles FTC Charges

Families (and businesses) are very concerned about hidden applications and files in downloads. The FTC has been on this issue for a long time and just announced the settlement of this $3 million enforcement action with Zango. Good work!Zango, Inc. Settles FTC Charges

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Facebook: Are the Chances Worth Taking?

a great paper wrtten by a talented student. Her mom works with me on helping create a safe Internet for schools in AtlantaFacebook: Are the Chances Worth Taking?

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

teenangels meet the "governator" at the California's cybersafety summit

They have met many very "kewl" people in their training and devliery of teh teenangels programs, but the teens were beside themselves in being able to meet the Governor. I had ot lecture them for an hour not to say things like "I'll be back." lol

The Governor came to the summit to speak for a few mionutes and took time just to meet the teens (he didn't have time to meet with anyone else.)

He took five minutes to get the teenangels's "living strong" bracelet on his huge fist. The kids thought he was incredible (and to be honest, so did I!).

we'd love to thank everyone at the Dept. of Consumer Affiars office in California for making the summit a reality and giving us the chance to meet such wonderful people, including our favorite moive star and governor .

Parry

SuperSafeKiddo learns about cyberbullying....