MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Naval Criminal Investigative Service hosted a Cyber Safety Awareness class at the Matthew C. Perry School library here Oct. 8 to help parents here become aware of the dangers they and their children can face online.
Michele Starostka, an NCIS special agent, was on-hand teaching the class, which focused on childhood online predators and pedophiles.
“The internet is this great tool to keep in communication with our friends and family back in the U.S., especially when you’re deployed or in a foreign country,” said Starostka. “However, there are also risks involved with using the internet.”
Starostka said we’re coming into such a digital age she believes parents often become desensitized and believe neither they nor their children have to worry about online dangers.
According to Cyber Angels, a cyber space volunteer group made up of law enforcement, teachers and parents, approximately 77 percent of children have been contacted by online predators by the age of 14, with more than 75 percent of them freely giving out personal information.
Some of the safety tips passed on during the class, recommended parents establish rules for Internet use on outlining what sites children can visit, how long they can be online, whom they can talk to and to keep the computer in a common room, not the children’s bedroom.
Also, the need for parents to know all their children’s online passwords was discussed during the class.
“I understand giving independence and trusting your kids on the internet,” said Starostka. “But parents and guardians have got to understand that whatever their children are doing on the Internet, they need to know those passwords.”
Starostka said knowing those passwords is the parents’ way of protecting their children and if something should happen, it makes things much quicker and easier if they have those passwords.
Also discussed during the class were situations when overseas families were sent inappropriate photographs and messages from someone in another country.
“We have offices all over the world,” said Starostka. “Some people think, ‘what’s anybody going to be able to do?’ but we can actually track these things down.”
Anyone wanting to learn more about online dangers and how to avoid them can visit the NetSmartz Web site at www.Netsmartz.org and Staysafe.org atwww.staysafe.org/teens/.
Anyone wanting to report an online incident anonymously or otherwise can call the station’s NCIS at 253-5589 or 253-3318.