Digital Footprints

creating and maintaining a positive digital footprint.

Two-thirds of internet users fall victim to cybercrime. Cybercrime is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. Using the internet appropriately and safely is extremely important, especially for kids who don't know much about it. Throughout this flyer, you'll be given facts of crime and tips for internet safety.

Internet Crime (2011)

  • Total complaints received: 314,246
  • Complaints reporting loss: 115,903
  • Total loss: $485,253,871

Some More Facts to Swallow

  • Online harassment has grown 50% in just five years and continues to increase.
  • Despite filtering software, exposure to unwanted sexual content continues to increase also.
  • Three-fourths of American teenagers say they've been bullied online, but only 1 in 10 tell their parents.
  • 75% of children are willing to share personal information in exchange for goods and services.
  • Approximately 25% of children told their parents about encountering sexual approaches or solicitation.

Some Helpful Internet Safety Tips

  1. Create a strong password with uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers.
  2. Never tell anyone but your guardians your password.
  3. Don't agree to meet online aquaintances without a guardian's consent and presence during the meet.
  4. Never post your personal information. This includes your cell phone number, name, address, state, home number, or current location.
  5. Never download anything without a parent's approval.
  6. Never respond to harassing texts, emails, or messages. Remember to tell an adult and block them if necessary.
  7. Use the privacy settings on social networks.
  8. Don't post/send harassing things.
  9. If anything makes you uncomfortable, don't be afraid to tell a parent immediately.
  10. Do not post pictures of yourself without checking with a parent first, and don't post or send inappropriate pictures of yourself.

Tips for Parents

  1. Set a time of night that kids need to get off the internet.
  2. Decide when your kid is at an appropriate age for some applications or networking sites, and discuss this with them.
  3. Talk to your kids about connecting with people they don't know online.
  4. Talk to your kids about email and spam messages before they start using it.
  5. Make sure your kids know to come to you if they are harassed, asked for personal information, or exposed to sexual content.
  6. Talk to your kids about only chatting with friends, not online strangers.
  7. For young children, give them a list of sites that limit them to what they can visit while online.
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