On June 12, the House approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Res. 455), sponsored by Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL), designating June 2007 as “National Internet Safety Month.” The Senate approved an identical resolution (S. Res. 205) on May 16 (see The Source, 5/18/07).
Rep. Bean stated, “In order for our children to be protected from the dangers of the Internet, we must work together to raise awareness of Internet safety…In recent studies conducted by the Department of Justice, one in seven children between the ages of 10 and 17 received a sexual solicitation online and one in 25, or essentially one per classroom, has received an aggressive sexual solicitation when a predator calls them on the phone, sends them gifts, or requests a meeting. Fortunately, our schools, nonprofits, local, state, and federal governments, and concerned corporate citizens have been actively engaging children on Internet safety. Programs vary, but all emphasize the importance of protecting personal information, keeping parents informed of Internet actions, and being careful who you talk to online.”
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) noted that, in June, “many of our children leave school for three months of vacation and recreation. So we need to raise awareness of the danger to our children, to our parents, and that’s why June is an appropriate time for National Internet Safety Month. With less time in the classroom, these children spend more time obviously on computers. Parents are the first and most effective defense protecting our nation’s children. Most of us here in Congress are working parents. Our children are back in the district. We know we cannot look over them all the time, and perhaps the spouse is working also. So while we can’t look over our children’s shoulder every hour of the day, we certainly should put in place the software and the protection in our computer, as well as awareness of the child, of the insidious nature of the Internet and the evil people that are out there that are stalking our children.”
