Community Council Focuses on Internet Safety

As a part of the outreach led by Attorney General and soon to be Governor Andrew Cuomo to keep children safe in today's world, Senior Investigator Paul Matthews made a presentation Tuesday evening to the Levittown Community Council called "Your Child's Digital Life". 

The presentation focused on the dangers of the internet such as sexual predators, identity theft and cyber bullying.

"Attorney General Cuomo deemed this an important topic, and we need to educate parents and promote safety for our children," said Matthews. "The primary goal of the evening is awareness."

Everyone in the room, which included guests of all ages, admitted to using the internet daily. While not everyone said they had their own social media account, everyone at least had a child or grandchild who did.

Over 70 percent of children ages 13 to 18 have social media profiles, said Matthews.

Matthews showed a mock MySpace page and explained the detailed personal information that could be used against a person with even a minimally revealing profile.

He noted that even if a child does not list his or her school, photos could give that information away. He also said full birth dates are very useful to those looking to steal identities and commit fraud. 

"I thought it was very informative," Levittown Community Council President Mauro Cassano said of the presentation. "He talked about some things I didn't even think about."

The main questions the presentation set out to answer were: What is your child doing online? What are the risks? and What can we do to protect them?

Matthews said college admissions officers and employers are using websites such as Facebook and Myspace more than ever to find information on applicants. 

"There is way too much information out there," he said. "Whether you think it's private or not, it might not be. That computer creates a record that may last well beyond your years."

Matthews acknowledged the benefits of social networking for teens, such as fostering creativity, providing an outlet to express themselves and helping build friendships. 

Still, he warned that modern outlets such as chat rooms, YouTube and online games tend to encourage cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has become a huge problem throughout the nation in recent years, even causing suicides.

"Cyber bullying is something our kids are exposed to 24/7," said Matthews. "The biggest problem with it is it goes unreported."

Matthews suggested some parenting tips such as placing the computer out in the open, in the living room, instead of in the child's bedroom. He stressed the importance of monitoring internet use and looking for warning signs such as an obsessive need to go online and constantly hiding whatever webpage is open when an adult walks by.

Matthews shared some tactics sexual predators use when seducing minors online, such as complimenting, sending gifts and encouraging secrecy. He spoke about the case of Kenneth Lashway, a high school dean and councilman who lived a secret double life online preying on minors.

Social networking sites are required to kick sexual predators off, Matthews said, but still it can be difficult to monitor every case.

There are currently 7,571 registered sex offenders on Long Island, said Matthews, and those are just the ones who have been caught.

Instead of their regular meeting in December, the Levittown Community Council will have its holiday party Dec. 13 at Elisa's Restaurant in Bellmore.