Parents Create Online Alternative For Children
Parents Create Online Alternative For Children Mar 20, 2006 11:32 pm US/Eastern (CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA There is a new alternative for parents nervous that their child's online social life is putting them at risk. CBS 3’s Todd Quinones reports a new program steers teens and tweens away from websites that could make them vulnerable to internet predators. The popularity of sites like MySpace.com on the internet is exploding, especially among kids like 12-year-old Stephanie from Ridley Park. “You have to worry about a whole bunch of people, different people instant messaging you and you don't know who they are,” she said. Teenagers can lie to simply bypass MySpace's age requirement and get access to sexually suggestive pictures and talk online to anyone in the world. “My oldest daughter is 12 and I turned the corner and saw a picture of a young boy she was talking to,” said Mike Smith. When Smith realized his daughter was talking to someone she didn't even know, he decided to do something about it. Smith and a group of parents from Delaware County have created a software program, called Salus City, to try and combat MySpace's allure to pre-teens. The virtual world is a sort of video game with an instant message program with filters. Kids can talk to each other while browsing the web in a closed circuit environment. No pictures are allowed, but instead kids create a virtual identity. Smith said the software will eventually be able to send warnings to parents. “If somebody asks for an address or phone number, an e-mail will be sent to the parents saying your child was asked for an address or phone number,” he said. To limit access to the software, Smith is trying to directly market Salus City through community groups and schools such as the St. Madeline St. Rose Elementary School in Ridley Park. The program has peaked Principal Mary Ditommaso's interest. “We've been constantly trying to educate them to the dangers of being online,” she said. 12-year-old Stephanie said she is already sold. “I really like it, it is a lot of fun." http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_079224519.html