We believe a new problem is facing America: the next generation of leaders in our nation is immersed in social networking, creating a problem for young people who do not know how to protect themselves on the internet. Internet misuse may negatively effect their future, damaging possible job prospects and college admissions. The solution to this problem is education; our federal and state governments need to incorporate funding for Internet safety education into existing health education courses.

Fifty percent of teens use their real names on Facebook and fourteen percent show their cell phone number, this information is very often accessible by anyone on the internet and potentially puts the user in danger.

The majority of teens know that public blogs and social networking sites are unsafe and are concerned that posting information publically could negatively impact their futures, and twenty-six percent of teens know someone who has been abused due to information or photos posted online. However, students do not know how to protect themselves, nor do they know that posting their personal information could put them in harms way.

Eighty-eight percent of parents with children under ten on Facebook are not even “friends” with their child. Additionally, forty-four percent of parents who actively use Facebook don’t know privacy controls even exist nor how to use them. Thirty-three percent of teens hide what they are doing from their parents by clearing their browser history. Therefore, children often do not receive the proper information about keeping themselves safe on social networking sites from their parents.

We want you to help make a change for young teens and we need your help to combat this issue. Please sign our petition so we can make the young American’s futures safer.