Dear Friends,
Here at the Kids’ Internet Safety Specialists (K.I.S.S.) we offer parents a very simple solution to the questions surrounding their children’s online activity: Proactive Surveillance.

You’ve probably come across some websites that claim to offer you a “spy-monitoring” solution that logs all the activity on your home computers or laptops. You are required to pre-pay online and then download an executable file (.exe files are used to execute an installation component on your computer).

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Children 4-8
Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and as a result, children are learning how to use what’s available to them when they are young. Very young. While the Internet is an incredible source of information -- and entertainment -- it can be dangerous. As a parent, keeping your kids safe is one of your primary responsibilities and these days, online safety is extremely important.

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Youths 9-13
In a perfect world, parents make the rules and kids happily follow them. But the reality is, youths and teens are always going to test boundaries whether at school, at home or at the computer. Ideally, you must be able to identify all the tell-tale signs that your child maybe breaking the rules. However, with their demand for more privacy and independence, and with an online language and code system that millions of kids and teens are using worldwide, sometimes these signs aren’t so easy to recognize.

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Teens 14-17
Privacy Is A Privilege, NOT A Right…

Privileges are earned. Your children have all your guidance and leadership but in order for you to extend complete privacy to your child they must prove to you that they deserve it by earning your trust through their behaviour.

Here at K.I.S.S., we want to help you understand that sometimes our children unknowingly exhibit risky behaviour. In order for you to trust their time online, you must know what behaviours need to be addressed for a safer, more enjoyable online experience…and for your peace of mind!

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WTH??
Ever wonder what all those symbols, acronyms and code words mean in the conversations your youths and teens have online and with their friends? In our Parent’s Guide To Internet Lingo, we have all of these listed and defined so you can decipher exactly what is being said! ! (In case you are wondering; WTH means “What The Hell?”)

For a list of the Top 100 phrases used by youths and teens *Click here

Brace yourself…some of the terms are shocking! (Please note this document contains explicit language)

• Social Networking – Teens – Click Here
• Social Networking - Youths - Click Here
• Video Networking – Click Here
• 10 Signs Your Child Is Breaking Rules Online - Click Here
• Internet Addiction – Click Here
• Sexting – An In Depth Study – *Click Here
• Family Internet Safety Agreement – *Click Here

• Canada’s National Tipline For Reporting The Online Sexual Exploitation Of Children – Click Here
• Comprehensive Site That Raises Awareness About All The Things That Kids Are Doing Online And Tips To Keep Them Safe – Click Here
• Canadian Centre For Child Protection – Click Here
• A Site For Teens To Remind Them Of Some Serious Concerns When It Comes To Their Safety And The Internet – Click Here
• Safety Strategies, Risks , Texting And The Ever Changing Technology Of Cell Phones And Mobile Safety – Click Here
• Canada Wide Resources And Help With Missing Kids – Click Here
• Interactive, Canadian Education Program For Increasing Personal Safety – Click Here
• Helping Child-Serving Organizations Create Safe Environments For Children – Click Here
• Teachers And Parents Across Canada Partner To Teach Kids How To Be Smarter, Stronger And Safer Online And In The Real World – Click Here
• A Website For Youths And Teens To Understand The Impact Of Their Online Presence - Click Here
  
• The Toronto Star Parent Resource Website - Click Here

Quick Stats
With all the things our children under 17 face each year, the internet is the one place you have the power to control 100%...so don’t hesitate to monitor the online activity happening in your home today!

• 1 in 12 children under 17 will attempt suicide this year
  
• 1 in 6 have seriously considered and planned suicide
  
• 1 in 3 students feel hopeless every day
  
• 1 in 5 students recently reported carrying a weapon
  
• Fear of violence in schools is the leading “worry” of high school teens
  
• 1 in 3 students were involved in a physical attack last year
  
• 40% experiment with self-injury (are “cutters”)
  
• 3 in 4 students have tried alcohol
  
• 3 in 10 students have tried alcohol before 13 years of age
  
• 1 in 4 students abuse alcohol
  
• 4 in 10 students have tried marijuana
  
• 1 in 5 use marijuana regularly
  
• 95,000: the average number of Canadian girls between 15-19 years old that become pregnant each year
  
• 300,000: the average number of Canadian children between 10-19 years old that get STDs each year
  
• By the time they graduate high school, each student will have watched 19,000 hours of television including 200,000 sexual acts and 1million acts of violence
  
• They will have listened to 12,000 hours of music of their choosing which is more time than they spent in a classroom since kindergarten
  
• 11 years old: average age of 1st internet porn exposure
  
• 8 in 10 15-17 year olds have had multiple exposures to hard-core sexual content on the internet
  
• 58% have been involved in objectionable content on the web
  
• 30,000 new porn links are created on the web every day
• Approximately 93 percent of all teens between 12 and 17 years old are internet users
• One in five teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. Solicitations were defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or to give out personal sexual information. (only 25% of those told a parent)
• About 30% of the victims of Internet sexual exploitation are boys.
• Internet sexual predators tend to fall between the ages of 18 and 55. Their targets tend to be between the ages of 11 and 15
• In over 96% of the cases, teens that are the victims of online sexual predators have gone willingly to meet with them.
• Teens are willing to meet with strangers: 25 percent of teens considered meeting someone they've only talked to online and 16 percent have actually met someone they only knew online.
• 75% of children are willing to share personal information online about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services

Real Life Stories
In Canada, we are lagging behind in emphasizing the importance of internet safety for our children. Very few parents believe that anything can or will happen to their kids. We are all convinced that our children would never behave in a manner to put themselves in danger. Online predators manipulate kids and teens in a way that cause them to put themselves in danger without even realizing it. We’ve collected some real life stories and news articles that can show you how easy it is for youths and teens to be manipulated, bullied and even assaulted when risky behaviour, peer pressure and bad judgement all come into play.

Overexposed: While playing on a Sony PlayStation, a 9-year-old boy became involved in a chat conversation with another opponent. The opponent began chatting with the boy in a sexual manner and sent the child sexually graphic pictures.

It Happened so Fast: While using an Instant Messenger (IM) program, a 12-year-old girl added someone who she did not know to her contact list. Within 10 minutes, the suspect requested that the child go on webcam, made sexual comments to her and asked her to show her bra.

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