Internet-safety bill takes aim at sexting

5-14-2009 National:

WASHINGTON - Cyberspace can be a dangerous place for young people, and the federal government has to start backing programs to teach students what to avoid and adults what to do when something goes wrong, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said Wednesday.

The mother of an 18-year-old Ohio woman who committed suicide after being tormented by classmates over a nude photo that was widely distributed, said schools need to know how to respond as much as youths need to know the potential consequences of their actions.

"For a school full of professionals to turn their back on her and never send a letter - they had to know something was going on with my daughter," said Cynthia Logan, whose daughter, Jessie, had sent a photo of herself to her boyfriend. "She took her own life when no one would help her stop the harassment."

Logan and child safety advocates joined Menendez and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., to tout a bill that would provide up to $175 million over five years to identify the best Internet safety programs for children, and provide competitive grants to non-profit groups and schools to spread the word.

Menendez said he hoped it could be considered by the full Senate this fall.

Menendez said students need to know how to avoid sexual predators, identity thieves and even possible criminal penalties for sharing sexually explicit photos of themselves or others.

Teachers and school administrators also need to be trained how to react when they discover students have been sharing nude photos of each other through social networking sites or cell phone images.

An online poll conducted by cosmogirl.com and the National Center to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found 20 percent of teens had sent or posted nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and 33 percent were sending or posting suggestive messages.

"As Internet access becomes even more widespread, we can't afford to have young people roam cyberspace without giving them the basic tools of good sense, individual responsibility and respect that we teach them to use offline," Menendez said. "These dangers aren't going away. They're only becoming more widespread."

In New Jersey, Attorney General Anne Milgram has concentrated on Internet safety, particularly for young users. Her office developed the Report Abuse! icon, which encourages social networking site visitors to flag potentially dangerous posts and to complain about bullying or other unwanted attention.

Milgram's staff also worked with police investigators and members of the Legislature on a package of bills to protect users from online predators. One measure would reduce the anonymity of Megan's Law registrants. Another would criminalize the communication of sexually suggestive materials. A third would require technicians who repair and maintain computers to report discoveries of child pornography.

Other bills involve stalking, identity theft and similar crimes. In all, the Assembly passed eight of the bills in March; they are awaiting action by Senate lawmakers.

Aftab, a security and privacy lawyer who is also the executive director of WiredSafety, said the New Jersey bills were a good start, but Ohio is considering a bill to address situations where youths sending pictures of themselves face serious criminal charges.

She also said law enforcement needs clearer directions.

"They either overreact or underreact. Justice shouldn't depend on which cop answers the phone that day," she said. ..News Source.. by Herb Jackson