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June 7, 2007
Library Software To Teach Children To Avoid Predators
Topics: GeneralBy LINDSAY WILKES-EDRINGTON, The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Children who use computers in Hillsborough County public libraries will soon be encouraged to complete an Internet safety program before logging online.
Hillsborough County commissioners announced Wednesday that starting Monday all computers in public libraries will feature the computer software program NetSmartz. Created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NetSmartz aims to teach children ages 5 and older how to avoid the danger of Internet sexual predators.
Commissioner Ken Hagan was the main force behind establishing the program in Hillsborough County. He said that after watching television shows such as Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator,' he decided something needed to be done locally to teach children why they shouldn't talk to strangers while surfing the Internet.
've got a 5-year-old son and a 6-month-old daughter, and it frightens me what children have access to online,' Hagan said Wednesday after a news conference at the Fred B. Karl County Center to unveil the program. 'This is to protect them.'
Hagan also was the main proponent of the Child Safety Zone Ordinance passed by the commission in March, which prohibits registered sexual predators from getting within 300 feet of libraries, parks and other areas where children gather.
The NetSmartz lesson varies based on age group and takes 20 minutes to complete. Younger children who use the program are introduced to Clicky the Robot, whose message is to always have an adult nearby when they're online. Teenagers who use the program will watch videos that feature real-life stories from others their age who have been targeted by Internet predators.
Verizon Wireless provided $20,000 to get NetSmartz started, and Hagan said he doesn't expect the county will have to pay anything to keep it going.
A child who logs on to a library computer will have access to the program. Branches also will offer NetSmartz classes throughout the summer, said Braulio Colon, public relations manager for Hillsborough libraries.
Children who complete the program receive a certificate and vouchers for free admission to local attractions such as Busch Gardens and The Florida Aquarium.
Eventually the program will be put on public computers available at county parks and recreation centers. Hagan said he hopes to make completion of the program a requirement of any child who wants to use a public computer.
Several Hillsborough County libraries will be offering workshops this summer for parents who want to learn how to protect their children while they're online.
New Tampa Regional Library will hold a session from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on June 23; Jimmy B. Keel Regional Library from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on June 30; and John F. Germany Library from 1 to 3:30 p.m on July 7.
Reporter Lindsay Wilkes-Edrington can be reached at lwilkes-edrington@tampatrib .com or (813) 259-7621.
Posted by admin at June 7, 2007 8:51 AM
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