Fort Collins police are hosting free Internet safety presentations for families to increase awareness and provide tools to keep everyone safe from the dangers of the Internet.
Topics covered will include:
• Sexual predators
• Online enticement and grooming
• Social networking websites
• Cyberbullying
• E-mail, instant messaging (IM), smartphones and sexting.
Family sessions will be held in the Fort Collins Police Services Community Room, 2221 S. Timberline Road, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings in 2013 (Sept. 3, Oct. 2, Nov. 5 & Dec. 3) and 2014 (Feb. 4, March 4, April 1, & May 6).
Families will be divided into three groups: adults; pre-teens 8 to 12 year-olds; and teenagers 13 to 18-year-olds for age-appropriate presentations.
Research shows that:
• 1 in 5 kids are subjected to unwanted sexual solicitation on the Internet
• 1 in 5 teens ages 13-19 are taking photographs of their intimate parts and sending them to friends
• 25 percent of kids sexually solicited on the Internet told a trusted adult
• 64 percent of teens report posting personal photos on the Internet and 58 percent report posting personal information such as where they live.
Much like a large metropolitan city, the Internet is a wonderful place with so many available resources. You would never drop your child off in a big city and expect them to explore it and remain safe. The goal of this presentation is to give your family awareness and tools to keep everyone safe from the dangers of the Internet.
Contact Detective Keith Maynard at 970-416-2051 or by e-mail at [email protected] to reserve your space.