PRINTER'S NO. 3747
No. 756 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY MILNE, MAY 12, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MAY 12, 2008
A RESOLUTION 1 Urging parents to instill and monitor safe Internet practices by 2 their children. 3 WHEREAS, More and more children are using computers and the 4 Internet today for schoolwork, social interaction and play; and 5 WHEREAS, Unscrupulous predators, aware of Internet usage by 6 children, are discovering and employing a myriad of ways to 7 solicit interaction of all types with children; and 8 WHEREAS, Such interaction may appear innocent at first, but 9 there are numerous situations known to the Office of Attorney 10 General that demonstrate the potential for these interactions to 11 become quite dangerous; and 12 WHEREAS, One in five children 10 to 17 years of age have been 13 solicited online and, in 15% of those cases, the solicitor has 14 attempted to meet the child in person; and 15 WHEREAS, The first line of defending these children lies with 16 their parents; and 17 WHEREAS, Parents should learn the warning signs of dangerous
1 Internet use, such as: 2 (1) a child spends large amounts of time online, 3 especially at night; 4 (2) a child turns off the computer quickly when a parent 5 enters the room; 6 (3) a child becomes upset when a parent asks to see what 7 he or she is doing online; 8 (4) a child receives mail or gifts from people the 9 parent does not know; and 10 (5) a child uses an online account belonging to someone 11 else; 12 and 13 WHEREAS, Parents should be assertive in reviewing safe 14 Internet practices that their children should use and in 15 substituting other suitable activities for their children rather 16 than unnecessary Internet use; therefore be it 17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge parents to 18 instill and monitor safe Internet practices by their children. E9L82JAM/20080H0756R3747 - 2 -