Two Thirds of children will be approached on the Internet for sex by adults- sexual offenders and predators.

Captain Cecilia Willis said the safety of our children is an important issue for Sheriff Wiley Griffin and she is talking to the community about Children's Safety on the Internet. 

On Tuesday, she spoke to the PTAs of Jones Wheat and Elcan King in her round of all the schools.

Captain Willis stated she routinely finds Bainbridge youth who have posted who they are, their age and where they live on different social web sites. (She noted a call to their parents is made.)  One child even had detailed directions to their house posted.  She stressed a child being at home sometimes creates a false sense of security.

Captain Willis is telling parents to be proactive in monitoring their children's actions - check their emails, watch what they are doing.  Don't be afraid to install software to monitor them, she stated.  She feels strongly that privacy should not be an issue.

Part of a parent's job is to know what your child is doing, Captain Willis stressed.  If you see your child minimizing their screen when you walk up, check it, see what they are doing.

Captain Willis also warned against parents taking the wrong action.  When parents catch children doing something wrong on the internet, the automatic reaction is "OK, you're off the computer."  She stated the internet is a useful tool and the better approach is talking with the child and closer monitoring.

Here are some useful links she provided.

2 SMRT 4U
Highlights of the Youth Internet Safety Survey
Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
Internet Safety for Children-Publications
NCMEC-Resources for Parents
Monitoring Software - 2007 Reviews

The Sheriff's presentations are supported by 21st Century (school program), Communities in Schools of Decatur County and Family Connection.