Originally Posted - July 20, 2006

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TALLAHASSEE, FLA--A new poll finds Florida parents perceive their children to be at greater risk than ever before as they go out in the community, rove the World Wide Web, or participate in after school programs and summer camps.

Ironically, the poll reveals many parents perceive their children to be at greater risk in general, but may not be aware of specific risks. Forty-five percent of those surveyed in a statewide poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (between June 19-22, 2006) said they believe children in their communities today are at a greater risk of suffering harm at the hands of an offender or predator than they were five years ago.

The Florida Attorney General's office has teamed up with representatives from the Florida School Boards Association, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Macy's stores and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. To unveil a new website that gives Florida parents tips on how to keep their children safe on the Internet, in shopping malls and other public places.

The website, www.safestepsfla.org was unveiled Wednesday. It contains such tips as not keeping a computer in a child's bedroom where it's hard to monitor, to monitor children's email, online journal or personal page and to never give out identifying or personal information or post children's photographs on public websites. "Clearly, parents need and want help to keep the most important responsibility of their lives - their children - free from harm," said Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, who helped launch the Safe Steps program. "The environment is changing rapidly and parents need help understanding the risks. The critical factor is equipping parents with solid information and tips based on facts and not simply the perception of risks," he said.

"That's where SAFE STEPS comes in. This is an outstanding example of how government, private safety experts and concerned corporate citizens can come together to fill a pressing need. Through our Web site, public service announcements, the informational booklet published last year and ongoing educational outreach, we can arm parents with information about real threats and sound strategies to keep their children safer."

Consumer advocate Michelle Vasilinda called the poll results revealing in a variety of ways that parents and guardians should find helpful. "Above all, the poll suggests parents are not always clearly identifying some of the risks," Vasilinda said. "Nor are they taking the needed steps to help protect their children."

For example, she said, the sense of risk undoubtedly is motivating many Florida parents and guardians to closely monitor their children's whereabouts during the day and to attempt to monitor their Internet activities. The Mason-Dixon poll found:

--A majority of parents say they monitor the whereabouts of their children every hour of the day during the summer (68%) as well as during the school year (71%)

--Some 84% said they allow their children to use a home computer with Internet access and 93% of those parents say they are aware of "when and how" their children are using the Internet

--80% of parents with children who use home computers say they read their children's blogs, journals or "myspace.com" entries and 67% report they monitor their children's instant messaging and chatroom conversations

--49% of parents (whose children use the Internet) allow their children to surf the Internet when they're not home

--14% of parents (whose children have access to a home computer) report the computer is in the child's bedroom, the one place experts warn most against placing a computer

--47% of parents incorrectly believe a child is more likely to be abducted by someone the child does not know, when in fact experts continue to warn that children are most likely to be abducted by persons already familiar to them

--53% of parents said they are familiar with the chatroom codes their children might encounter, yet only 15% of those knew that the commonly used chat room code "A/S/L" stands for "Age/Sex/Location"

© 2006 North Country Gazette