Audrey Sibley - Teens and their parents need to be knowledgeable about Internet safety
Dr. Kardasz: Ms. Sibley is a also a spokesperson for the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. For more information about the Task Force see: http://www.azicac.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audrey Sibley - Teens and their parents need to be knowledgeable about Internet safety
The Arizona Star (on line)
Tucson, Arizona. 11/26/06
Did you know that your teen views the Internet as a safe way to meet new people? One in three teens is considering meeting an online acquaintance in person. Fourteen percent of teens have already met in person someone they met online.
That's what experts found when Cox Communications partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children this summer for a teen summit on Internet safety. As a former Miss Arizona and a current student at the University of Arizona, I have had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a diverse group of people, as well as working for a number of valuable causes. Through these experiences, I have learned that the secret to making a difference in a community is to have a positive impact on current issues.
The Miss America Organization is the world's largest provider of scholarships for women and one of the nation's leading achievement programs. Every participant in the system has a personal platform — an issue she promotes in hopes of improving the quality of life in her community, state and nation.
I did not choose my platform of preventing child abduction and exploitation; it chose me. On Feb. 3, 2004, two days after the abduction of Carlie Brucia in Sarasota, Fla., I sat transfixed and horrified as I watched the video image of 11-year-old Carlie being led away by her abductor, never to be seen alive again.
I knew in that moment, fighting for the safety of our children would become my life's mission. The question became, how can I do more?
After partnering with the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force shortly after I won the title of Miss Arizona, I became even more interested in how teenagers and younger children use the Internet, particularly in how they are using the Internet to socialize.
Today, I spend much of my time using the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's NetSmartz Workshop to educate Arizona's children and communities about Internet safety. Just recently, I participated in a forum sponsored by Cox Communications as part of the taping of a TV show, "My Voice. My Choice. Caught in the Web," which airs from from 7 to 8 tonight on Cox Channel 7.
The show features the story of Kylie Taylor, a teenager who shares her terrifying encounter with a 47-year-old chat room acquaintance. After she tells her story, the show features a Scottsdale high school student body president, a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy and me spending time exploring the challenges, issues and risks associated with teen Internet habits.
Statistics reinforce the attention we should give our children when they are using the Internet in order to keep it a safe environment.
Join me on Cox 7 to learn more about this topic — vitally important to you and your teens — or visit www.cox.com/takecharge to learn how to safely navigate the Internet.
Audrey Sibley is a junior at the University of Arizona, where she is pursuing a degree in marketing and a minor in religious studies.
Retrieved December 1, 2006 from http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/158257.php