1 in 7 kids are solicIted for sex online

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1 in 7 kids are solicIted for sex online

By Nicole Papageorge

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - We teach our children many things; how to walk, how to talk, how to swim. But, how do you teach your children about online safety?

Florida's Attorney General Bill McCollum says you talk with them about it and monitor their internet activity.

McCollum is trying to visit every middle school and high school in the state to talk to kids about cyber safety.

"77 million kids in the U.S. are on the internet everyday," says McCollum. "1 out of 7 of them will be solicited for sex."

On Wednesday, 9th graders at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda listened to McCollum's presentation. They heard real stories from kids across the country. Tales that will remind them that people they meet online aren't always what they seem.

"Remember, if you're a parent, your child is going to go on a MySpace page," says McCollum. "Don't try to keep them off the internet or away from MySpace but teach them yourself learn about what they're doing on the internet."

The students who listened to this presentation say they like the supervision.

"They're not supposed to be my best friends for my teenage years, they're supposed to be my parents," says 11th grader Melissa Stewart. "When I get older, more mature, and I can protect myself then that's when they can be my best friend." "But for now I know I can't get mad at them because I know that that's their job."
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