Public Internet Safety Sites

Sheriff Wendell Hall would like to provide a site for all parents, teachers and concerned citizens of Santa Rosa County who are interested in obtaining more information about safe internet usage. Below you will find a variety of sites that may be of great interest to you for the protection of your loved ones.

Specific Florida Statutes on Cyber Crimes:

(Click on the individual Florida Statute number)

Cyber Stalking: Florida Statute 784.048 (1)(d) 

This would also include threatening someone by email

Computer Pornography: Florida Statute 847.0135

Lewd Exhibition to Minor on Computer: Florida Statute 800.04(7)

Penalty for possession and transmission of child pornography: Florida Statute 827.071(5), 847.0135(2) and (3)

Civil liability immunity for reporting child pornography or transmission: Florida Statutes 847.0139

Sexual Performance of a Child: Florida Statutes 827.071(2)

Transmission of Pornography: Florida Statutes 847.0137

Transmission of Material Harmful to Minors: Florida Statutes 847.0138

General Information Sites:

1. WWW.Safekids.com is an excellent site that contains volumes of information for parents and those new to the online experience. There is also great information for teenagers and younger children.

2. WWW.ConnectSafely.org is a site that specifically addresses the "blog sites" such as MySpace, Zanga, and LiveJournal. There is also an interactive forum that may obtain answers for whatever questions you may have.

3. WWW.wiredsafety.org is a site that is maintained by a nationally known attorney that works with MySpace to make it safer for users.

4. WWW.GetNetWise.org covers a wide variety of topics concerning child safety. It addresses such things as computer viruses, hackers, and privacy issues.

5. WWW.MissingKids.com is a site owned by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It contains quite a bit of safety information that can be downloaded or sent to you. There is also a new section using mobile devices that are internet capable.

Internet Safety Programs and Education:

6. WWW.ncpc.org contains information and downloads on specific subjects such as "cyber bullying" and "Internet safety." It also includes Public Service Announcements or PSA's.

7. WWW.webwisekids.org has free computer based games for school systems that entertain and teach Internet safety practices for teenagers. There are also parent education programs available.

8. WWW.isafe.org has curriculums and programs for grades K-12.

9. WWW.NetSmartz.org consists of instructional programs and resources for kids and teens. It is sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. There is also a new parent interactive program called NetSmartz411.

Specific Topics:

10. WWW.unh.edu/ccrc contains a list of publications on the online victimization of kids and other studies.

11. WWW.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/216/report_display.asp discusses how teens manage their online identities and personal information in the age of MySpace.

12. Cyber bullying and Online Teens contains a study on this growing trend in the bullying of other children through the use of the internet. It is presented in the PDF format for your downloading.

MySpace Contact Addresses for Parents or Teachers:

13. Parental Issues involving their children: parentcare@myspace.com

14. Harassment/Cyber bullying reports: cyberbullyreport@myspace.com

15. Imposter profiles: imposterreport@myspace.com

16. Underage user reports: underagereport@myspace.com

17. Copyright issues: copyrightagent@myspace.com

Safety Tips:

18. Tips against Cyber Stalking from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

19. Information about and tips to combat child pornography from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

20. Definition of "Phishing" and penalty thereof from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as defined in Florida Statutes 817.568.

21. Safety Tips from the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office on what parents should be looking if their children are being exploited by someone on the computer. Sheriff Wendell Hall provides a "parent's guide" for such things as to what to look out for and signs and symptoms of exploitation.

Acronyms Used on the Internet:

Parents should make themselves aware of the new "web or net lingo" that their children are using. Many parents hear these terms flying around among their children or see them posted on the computer but have no idea what they mean. Below are several of the more common that are used especially among predators. Number #5 is a hyperlink to the top one hundred (100) used by people on the internet. Many have indirect or direct sexual connotations, which is why they are so commonly used by sexual offenders and predators alike.

1. WTGP - means Want to GO Private

2. F2F - means Face to Face

3. NIFOC - Naked in Front of Computer

4. LMIRL - Let's Meet in Real Life

5. For the top fifty (50) acronyms used by teenagers and young adults today click here. Warning may be sexually explicit terminology. The second fifty (50) most used terms may be obtained by clicking here.

Top Websites for Teens and Young Adults:

1. WWW.MySpace.com - for more information on this website click here. For more info click here.

2. WWW.facebook.com

3. WWW.MyYearbook.com - this is a MySpace look alike but managed by high school students

4. WWW.LiveJournal.com

5. WWW.Friendster.com

6. WWW.Blnk.com - managed out of Milwaukee

Internet Sexting

Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, frequently between cell phones. It is a current trend among teens. According to a 2008 survey commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 22% of teenage girls and 18% of teenage boys have taken nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and sent them to someone or posted them online. For the consequences of "sexting" please click here.