Table of Contents:

President’s Message
For any parent who feels out-of-touch or under-equipped to engage their child on the Internet, this edition of Stop Child Predators’ newsletter helps parents think about how media and technology fit into their family’s life.  From the “Parents Tech Corner” that offers tips for parents who want to help their kids safely navigate the Internet and other digital platforms to SCP staffer Amy Thienel’s advice that teens should think before they text or post material online, think of StopChildPredators.org as your one-stop website to learn about protecting and preparing children and teens as they grow up in a digital age, guarding your online privacy and balancing time spent in cyberspace—with articles that the entire family can read.

A Not So “Super” Bowl
It’s been nearly two months since Stop Child Predators spoke out against the NFL’s decision to allow Pete Townshend, guitarist for the iconic rock band The Who, and former sex offender registrant, to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Townshend was placed on the UK sex offender registry from 2003-2008 after he admitted to paying for online child pornography. Townshend claimed that this purchase was made for research, which according to the FBI is one of the most common excuses given by alleged pedophiles when caught. Let’s not forget, paying for child porn drives up the demand and funds more abuse—something anyone studying the dark business of child pornography would recognize.

Parenting in the Digital Age
When it comes to being a parent in the Internet age, nothing has changed.  If that sounds naïve, allow me to explain.  Parenting has always been about two objectives: to protect and to prepare our children as they grow.  For millennia past, through different cultures and contexts—each with their own unique challenges—parents have been faced with these two primary objectives. 

Parents Tech Corner: Monitoring 101
Ellen Ohlenbusch President, McGruff SafeGuard
In any community, children confront dangers every day that parents are careful to protect against. Many parents can identify the troublemakers, the bad influencers, the bullies and possibly the predators to look out for. But, there is another community where children play that involves many more dangers and risks. This community is the Internet, and 74 percent of children ages 8 to 18 explore it without ever leaving home.

To read the entire newsletter click here.

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