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In response to recent national and local headlines concerning child online safety, PCPandora.com launches “18 Tips to Safe Surfing” and Pandora’s Blog. Both serve as resources to parents looking for ideas and effective ways to keep their kids safe on the Internet.
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 16, 2007 — In response to recent national and local headlines concerning child online safety, PCPandora.com launches “18 Tips to Safe Surfing” and Pandora’s Blog. Both serve as resources to parents looking for ideas and effective ways to keep their kids safe on the Internet.
Three recent events have brought the issue of online child safety to the headlines once again:
it’s a place where we will talk about current news surrounding the issue. We want parents to share their stories, chime in on our thoughts… and maybe even find answers.
1. In March, a federal court judge in Philadelphia blocked the 1998 Child Online Protection Act… 2. Soon thereafter, Project Safe Childhood launched the educational “Think Before You Post” campaign… And 3. A couple weeks after that, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) rejected the application for an official redlight district “.xxx” Internet domain.
In addition, stories of Internet predators being caught by undercover agents, and local/state government-hosted seminars being held in communities across the US also make daily headlines. For example, recently, 28 men were arrested over one weekend in Florida, and a Pennsylvania man was sentenced for having sexual relations with the 14-year old Connecticut girl he met on MySpace.
Now more than ever, the message is clear: it is 100% parents’ responsibility to safeguard their child’s Internet activities.
In response to the plethora of recent news surrounding online child safety, Pandora Corporation, makers of PC Pandora, have posted 18 Tips to Safe Surfing on their website. In addition, the company has started Pandora’s Blog, the focus of which is to provide an open forum for discussion of current news concerning child online safety.
“We want to be a resource for parents,” says co-founder James Leasure, “a place where they can come to discuss issues, get tips, educate themselves and find answers. Online safety is an important topic, now more so than ever — and it’s up to parents to make sure we succeed.”
The company pulled tips from all over the web, added a bit of common sense, and gave them a home in one place on their website.
“Simple solutions like start early, talk to your kids, be the boss of your PC, establish rules… they may all seem to be no-brainers, but you would be surprised at the number of parents that overlook these basic guidelines,” says Leasure.
With Pandora’s Blog, the company hopes to keep the issue of online safety at the forefront of America’s parents’ minds. Leasure says, “it’s a place where we will talk about current news surrounding the issue. We want parents to share their stories, chime in on our thoughts… and maybe even find answers.”
He adds that, “progress is being made everyday, and more people are aware now of the dangers that lurk online — but we still have a long road to travel.”
The company’s monitoring software, PC Pandora, serves as a valuable tool in monitoring children’s activities online. Executive members are available for comment; copies of software, images, and video are also available for help in story development.
Some Alarming Stats Concerning Kids’ Online Activity:
· According to 2006’s Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later report, approximately one in seven youth online (10 to 17-years-old) received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet.
· The same report found that 34% had an unwanted exposure to sexual material – pictures of naked people or people having sex. 27% of the youth who encountered unwanted sexual material told a parent or guardian. But if the encounter was defined as distressing – episodes that made them feel very or extremely upset or afraid – 42% told a parent or guardian.
· According to a 2006 survey, by Cox Communications in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, teens have been exposed to the Internet’s accompanying potential risks:
–71% reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know
–45% have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know
–30% have considered meeting someone that they’ve only talked to online
–14% have actually met a person face-to-face they they’ve only spoken to over the Internet
· 71% of all parents stop monitoring their child’s use of the Internet after the child turns 14, not knowing that 72% of all Internet-related missing children are 15 years of age or older. – Dist. Attny, Cnty of Los Angeles
About PC Pandora: Pandora Corporation was formed with one goal – to help our customers monitor, control and protect their families and themselves online. First released in 2005, PC Pandora has been constantly upgraded to industry-leading specifications and has received accolades from users, reviewers and even school districts and law enforcement agencies, who use the program to help in the day-to-day supervision of the children and citizens they are charged with protecting. With the release of Windows Vista-compatible version 4.2 and a newly upgraded interactive website, PC Pandora has vaulted into a leadership position by boasting a combination of features that unparalleled in the monitoring industry. The company website devotes space to helping parents with 18 Tips to Safe Surfing and the new Pandora’s Blog, where current news in the world of online safety are discussed regularly.