Keeping children safe online

The Internet age presents a new range of public health and safety concerns that require awareness and involvement.

Editorial. Dec. 25, 2006.

Danger lurks on the Internet. And the need to protect children and young people who use the Web has become increasingly obvious.

Recent segments on NBC's "Dateline" detailing the ease in which adult sexual predators link with kids in cyberspace underscore why action is necessary.

But juxtapose these reports with the image of a teenager huddled in a library, collecting a wealth of health data for a term paper or researching sensitive health information online because he or she is too embarrassed to ask certain questions out loud.

Both of these -- the predator scenario and the enormous potential educational benefit -- reflect the reality of the Internet today. They also illustrate why it is important to find the right level of protection.

After all, according to an American Medical Association Board Report on the subject, an estimated 87% of young people ages 12 to 17 use the Internet. This number includes 82% of those 12 to 14 years old and 92% of those 15 to 17. Eleven million of these young people go online daily.

And this can be frightening when considered in the context of the following statistics: One in five young people using the Internet receive an online sexual solicitation every year, and 29% of kids will freely give out their home addresses if asked.

The result is a need to take appropriate action. And that's exactly what the AMA did in November when its House of Delegates approved that board report. It sets out a course for future advocacy efforts to protect children from dangers they might encounter along the information superhighway. Before this, the AMA had in place at least 30 policies related to the Internet but none to protect young people from its darker side.