Keep kids safe on the Web

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Story Published: May 14, 2008 at 4:47 PM PST

By Meghan Kalkstein

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ALBANY, Ore. - Baby Evelyn might not have the Internet on the brain, but her mom definitely does.

"It's a concern, definitely," said Andrea Daniels.

Daniels said she's planning ahead.

"I'm going to make sure I keep my computer in a main room where I can watch her," Daniels said.

From MySpace to cell phones, there's a lot of potential for danger for children when it comes to technology.

West Albany High School officials had concerns over an alleged racy photograph of a girl under 18 snapped on a camera phone and sent from student to student.

School officials never found the photo, but it raises questions about how to keep kids safe with technology. Detective Micah Smith with the Linn County Sheriff's Office has a creative resource to keep kids safe.

It's a campaign called Tech Smartz that Smith launched 18 months ago.

"Where we go out in the community and educate students parents teachers community members and other law enforcement on how to protect kids online and using technology," Smith said.

But now Smith hopes to reach even more people with a new magazine. It's a compilation of expert articles on everything from safe social networking to inappropriate images on cell phones, from online gaming to safety tips.

"We felt there wasn't a local resource for people to grab and read to learn about internet education safety," Smith said.

The Linn County Sheriff's Office is releasing the publication right before summer break, when kids have a lot of free time on their hands.

But Smith said this resource will be useful all year.

"Parents have to worry about this issue," he said. "If you were going to send your kid to New York on New Year's eve in Times Square, you'd be worried about sending your kid there. But they should also be worried about kids getting on the Internet because they can reach just as many people online, so we have to raise awareness."

Some 50,000 copies of the publication will go to mid-valley newspaper subscribers, schools, parents and kids May 21. It will also be available online at www.linnonline.org.

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