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Adolescent Web Awareness Requires Education (AWARE) Act
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) are sponsoring the Adolescent Web Awareness Requires Education Act (AWARE Act). This bipartisan legislation would provide funding to programs that educate children on Internet safety, behavior, and security. I couldn't agree more with Congressman Culberson's comments on the underlying premise of the act:
"The way to meet the challenges and opportunities the Internet presents isn't to deny our children access to this great resource but to empower them to use it wisely. Just as we make sure our children know not to talk to strangers, not to bully kids on the playground, and not to provide personal information, we have the same responsibility to teach them to apply these values online." So, what are the details? The bill, if approved, would establish funding for grants made available to state and local education agencies and non-profit organizations. These grants will be competitively awarded for programs that promote Internet safety for children. A proposed $125 million in grants over five years would be administered jointly by the Departments of Justice and of Education.
This means that, instead of barring children from the potential hazards of the Internet, we will encourage education providers to prepare children to interact in the online world safely--just as you would in the offline world. The Internet is a phenomenal tool, but it comes with great dangers, not unlike a bicycle, a car, or an ordinary can of hairspray. Let's teach our kids to use it safely.
To show your support for the AWARE Act, you can learn more at Congresswoman Schultz's and Congressman Culberson's websites:
For information on how you can help your children use the Internet safely today, Download the free software from McGruff SafeGuard, made available for free through a partnership with the NCPC.Labels: AWARE Act, education, internet safety
posted by Nick Carter at 4:59 AM Link to this Article
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