Reynolds and WNY Officials Discuss Ways To Protect Children from Online Predators

Press Release

Reynolds and WNY Officials Discuss Ways To Protect Children from Online Predators

Today, Congressman Thomas M. Reynolds (R-Clarence) met with Western New York law enforcement officials and local public library officials to discuss efforts to protect children from online sexual predators. At the meeting, Reynolds highlighted legislation he is working to pass, called the Deleting Online Predators Act, that will limit the ability of sexual predators to reach children who use online social networking sites in public schools and libraries.

"One in five kids will receive a dangerous and unwanted sexual advance online," Reynolds said. "Using the anonymity of the Internet as a weapon, online sexual predators are finding it very easy to contact our kids. As parents and public officials, we must do all we can to protect children from this 21st century danger and make sure that our libraries and schools are not hunting grounds for sick criminals."

The Deleting Online Predators Act of 2007, a bill co-sponsored by Reynolds, would require schools and libraries that receive federal funding to block children's access to social networking websites, such as MySpace.com, or a chat room unless they have a parent's permission or are under direct adult supervision. The legislation would also create an online clearinghouse website to inform parents, teachers, school officials and students about the potential dangers of social networking sites and chat rooms. The bill also requires the Federal Trade Commission to issue consumer alerts regarding dangerous sites and suspicious activity, and these alerts would be posted for parents and educators online.

The Department of Justice estimates that of the one in five children who are approached by an online predator, only one in four children tell their parents about it. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 50,000 sexual predators are online at any one time, with social networking sites one of their most dangerous outlets. Over 85 million people are registered on MySpace.com, including millions of American children.

"In today's world, parents are faced with the challenge of making sure their kids are safe and protected from inappropriate and insidious content online, but they cannot watch their kids 24 hours a day," Reynolds said. "Parents need to know that at school and at libraries, their kids will also be protected. This bill, along with the ongoing efforts of our law enforcement officials, educators and librarians, will make sure children are roaming the world wide web with caution and that predators can't roam the virtual hallways of our schools and libraries."

Source