The New Hampshire Attorney General issued the following news release:
Governor John H. Lynch, Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte, and Commissioner of Education Lyonel B. Tracy announce the delivery of over 105,000 copies of the "Internet Safety Guide" for Teens and Parents to public schools across New Hampshire in continuing with the Governor's tough stance against sexual predators. These cybercrime prevention guides are being provided to middle and high school students in grades in grades 6 to 10. Governor Lynch, Commissioner Tracy, and General Ayotte encourage parents to ask to see these guides and to use the guides to connect with their kids before the next time their kids connect to the Internet.
The Internet Safety Guide provides information on the risks involved in posting personal information online. One in seven children, among kids age 10 to 17, have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on the Internet. The Internet Safety Guide provides parents with insight into the special language used on the Internet. Parents can find information on resources that are available to help parents keep their kids safe in the Guide.
Gov. Lynch has made cracking down on sexual predators a priority. Gov. Lynch and Attorney General Ayotte worked with police chiefs and lawmakers to pass the Child Protection Act, giving New Hampshire some of the toughest laws in the nation. This year, Gov. Lynch and Attorney General Ayotte are working together on legislation aimed at Internet predators.
"We must make sure we are doing all we can to keep our kids safe from sexual predators whether it is on the streets or online. The Internet Safety Guide will give parents an important tool to help them keep their children safe," Gov. Lynch said. "I believe we need to have the toughest possible laws to deal with people who sexually prey or abuse children.
"As technology changes our world, it also poses new threats. We must toughen the penalties for those who use the Internet to prey on our children. That is why I, along with the Attorney General, will propose legislation aimed at protecting children from Internet predators," Gov. Lynch said.
Parents who have not received the Internet Safety Guide can download a copy from General Ayotte's Cybercrime Prevention website:
Connectwithyourkids.org
This website also contains links to tips on how to set parental controls on web browsers and different programs kids use. PowerPoint presentations available on the site provide information to help parents and older teens teach younger kids to use the Internet safely. PowerPoint presentations available on the web site addresses Instant Messaging ("IM"), on-line gaming, and use of chat rooms. These environments, which purport to be kid friendly, too often contain sexual predators lurking and attempting to entice kids into dangerous situations.
The primary focus of the Internet Safety Guide and the Connectwithyourkids.org web site is preventing sexual predators from gaining access to New Hampshire's children through the Internet. Parents can help prevent cybercrime and keep their kids from being preyed upon by:
* Connecting with your kids - discuss the dangers on the internet and set age appropriate limits, avoid disclosing personal information;
* Keeping computers in a common area - parents would not let strange adults meet with your kids in their bedroom, don't let them do so through your home computer, limit on-line computer use to the room where the family hangs out together;
* Protecting children on-line - set parental controls, check browser histories, control use of peer to peer programs that can be used to spread images of sexual abuse of children - see where your kids have been going, check your kids on-line profiles;
* Reporting inappropriate activity - Call your local police if someone tries to entice your child to meet with them, threatens them with cyberbullying, or if someone ties to share images of sexual abuse of children. Report site abuse to site administrators.
Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte over the last year has given presentations to groups of parents, teens, and school kids across New Hampshire providing them with information on Internet safety. The Internet safety presentations, available on the website, also address important issues including cyberbullying. Commissioner Lyonel B. Tracy says "Today, students have access to a hundred times more information outside the classroom that they do in their regular classroom. As a result, adults must rally to ensure that our children are safe from Internet crime."
Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte says "I would like to thank Governor Lynch for making Internet safety for kids a priority and providing my Office with a cybercrime prosecutor. While New Hampshire's law enforcement officers are actively investigating and our prosecutors at the County Attorney's Offices and at my Office are vigorously prosecuting sexual predators who use the Internet, we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. Parents are the first line of defense in protecting their kids from on-line predators. I would like to thank Commissioner Tracy and the Department of Education for partnering with us to be a resource for parents and schools to help them prevent cybercrime by connecting with their kids and taking reasonable steps to all of New Hampshire's kids safe."
The education campaign is one prong of a three-part Internet Safety strategy announced last year by Gov. Lynch, which also includes the legislation and the creation of an Internet Crimes Prosecutor at the Department of Justice. Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte and Governor John H. Lynch are pleased to announce that Lucy H. Carrillo has been appointed as the Cybercrime Prosecutor in the Attorney General's Office. Attorney Carrillo will serve as a resource for law enforcement and prosecutors throughout the State and directly prosecute cybercrime cases.Contact: Lucy H. Carrillo, 603/271-1289.
Lucy H. Carrillo, 603/271-1289.
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