Programs

± Bubbylonian Encounter
± Annual Luncheon Lecture Series
± Annual Conference
± Michigan Children's Trust Fund Direct Service Grant
± Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness
± Safe Sleep Initiative

± Internet Safety

Teen Internet Safety

Our newest program, Teen Internet Safety, will train young women high school students about the dangers of risky Internet use and prepare them to become Internet Safety mentors to their peers. The program is beginning this year in Dexter, but WACC hopes to expand the program throughout Washtenaw County in the months ahead. For more information, or to schedule a training or presentation click here to contact Amber Moore, Internet Safety Program Coordinator.

For Internet Safety tips and resources please click here

Why Teen Internet Safety:

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005, the number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online. Compared to four years ago, teens’ use of the internet has intensified and broadened as they log on more often and do more things when they are online. Not only has the number of users increased, but also the variety of technologies that teens use to support their communication, research, and entertainment desires has grown. With this expansion of users and technology comes an increasing risk of cyberbullying, online stalking and becoming the target of online predators. Popular sites such as MySpace and other “diary” sites present a particular set of dangers because members often include personal information about themselves including their full names, schools they attend, and pictures of themselves. Girls more than boys tend to value and use these sorts of sites. Older teenage girls (ages 15-17) have driven the growth in many of the communication and information-seeking categories. Older teenage girls have a much higher level of engagement with a wide array of these activities than do either boys of the same age or younger boys and girls (ages 12-14).

Teenagers, ages 12-19, especially girls, are the most victimized segment of the population in the United States. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics-1996. Washington, D.C.: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, pages 210-211) Of the 24 million children online, one in five have received an online sexual solicitation, according to a U.S. Department of Justice survey. Two-thirds of these solicitations were aimed at teen girls. One in four US teen girls reported that they met strangers off the Internet. (Parry Aftab, The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace) Research shows that 81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren’t careful enough when giving out information about themselves online and 79% of online teens agree with this. 65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn’t want their parents to know about. (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005.) When online, girls reported more risky behavior overall than did boys. Significantly more online teen girls than boys said they’ve posted a profile (56% vs. 37%), shared personal information (37% vs. 26%), and been asked about sexual topics (33% vs. 18%). (The Polly Klaas® Foundation)

Facts about Teen Internet Use:

According to the Polly Klaas Foundation -

Online teens frequently communicate virtually with someone they’ve never met: 54% have done so using IM; 50% via email; and 45% in a chat room.
Two in five online teens (42%) said they’ve posted information about themselves on the Internet so others can see it and contact them.
More than half of the respondents (56%) said they’ve been asked personal questions online.
One-fourth (25%) said they receive such questions weekly, while 11% say such requests come daily.
Nearly one third of online teens (30%) said they’ve talked about meeting someone whom they’ve only met through the Internet.
More than one third of these online teens (37%) said they’ve received a link to sexually explicit content.
One in four (27%) said they’ve talked online about sex with someone they never met in person. And, nearly one in five (19%) reported knowing a friend who has been harassed or asked about sex online by a stranger.
Nearly half of the teen respondents (47%) admitted that they’ve used code words to alert others online to a parent’s immediate presence—an effort to disguise a conversation about which a guardian might not approve.
More than one in four (28%) said they use such lingo daily.

All of these practices put children at risk to online predators. Such risk-taking, combined with full integration of the Web in the lives of today’s youth, means that a simple lecture or parental warning will have little effect on dangerous online practices. While younger teens (tweens) are more likely to discuss Internet safety with their parents (82%) than teens (58%), dramatically more teens (68%) than tweens (20%) say they “frequently” go online in their parents’ absence. Nearly 10 times as many teens (48%) as tweens (5%) report holding accounts with passwords their parents don’t know about. (The Polly Klaas® Foundation) Such behavior points to a need for other tactics to reach teens about online safety.

Using a Peer-to-Peer Approach

WACC’s Teen Internet Safety program takes a peer-to-peer approach in the belief that teens are more likely to listen to other teens. Peer-to-peer communication is one of the most effective ways that young people receive and attend to information. (NIDA (1997). Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research Based Guide. NIH publication No. 97-4212. 1997) Peer education can be one of the most effective and empowering methods of working with young people across a range of social issues such as drug prevention, youth health, crime and violence. Young people are more likely to listen to people who are like them. It is a basic characteristic of humans as social beings. Most people are likely to listen to someone that they can relate to. People are more likely to listen to and act on information if it is presented to them by someone that they can identify with, respect and model behavior from. Young people respect wisdom, especially when it involves people like them who have been through or have learned from others who have been through a difficult situation. (The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)

top of page