Happy Internet Safety Month
June is widely known as National Internet Safety Month but Congress has yet to pass a resolution recognizing that fact. In 2008, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced a measure in May and it passed the chamber within days. The year before, her resolution was approved by unanimous consent on the same day it was introduced. Reps. Gene Green, D-Texas, and Melissa Bean, D-Ill., introduced similar resolutions in the House in 2007 and Bean's bill passed under suspension of the rules 12 days into the month aimed at protecting kids online. Last Congress, the House approved a measure giving a nod to Internet Safety Month and the FTC's OnGuard Online program -- in July.
This year, Green was early to act by introducing a resolution in January that points out, among other things, that 77 million children have Internet access; one in five youth who use the Internet regularly have reported receiving a sexual approach or solicitation in the past year; and one in 17 youth reported being threatened or harassed online in the past year. Only a fraction of all unwanted Web encounters were reported to authorities such as the police, an Internet service provider, or a hotline, the resolution stated. Green's bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Off of Capitol Hill, Internet advocacy groups offered statements Monday in support of Web awareness. Family Online Safety Institute CEO Stephen Balkam and FOSI Chairman Brent Olson, assistant vice president for regulatory policy at AT&T, urged government, law enforcement, industry, teachers, parents and children themselves to build a culture of Internet responsibility. "With the Internet playing a vital role in the lives of many teens and tweens these days, it has become especially important to teach them to make wise choices online," Balkam said. Olson said he looked forward to using Internet Safety Month to reach a broader audience to encourage online awareness and education. June is also Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month, Dairy Month, Great Outdoors Month, and Turkey Lovers Month.
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