HR0974 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0974 LRB095 19280 GRL 45563 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Young people are equipped with the confidence, intellectual capacity, and skills to explore the far reaches of the Internet, yet lack the savvy they need to be safe and protected from the Internet's many dangers; and

WHEREAS, Internet usage among young people is very prevalent with modern society; 87 percent of young people ages 12 to 17 use the Internet; 20 percent of young people ages 10 to 17 have received unwanted sexual solicitations; of those, 75 percent who received a sexual solicitation did not tell a parent; according to a recent study, 1 of 3 children admitted that they considered meeting face-to-face with people they met on the Internet; in January of 2007, 25 million people visited the popular website MySpace; and

WHEREAS, In this modern age, parents have to keep themselves up to date and educated with ever-changing information to protect their children from getting into trouble and away from danger on the Internet; and

WHEREAS, Unknowing of the potential dangers, teenagers post personal information online, such as posting pictures online or sending them to "friends" around the country; after developing an online relationship with another person, teenagers may consider that person a friend and give them phone numbers, class or activity schedules, or other identifying information, which could potentially lead to disastrous outcomes; and

WHEREAS, Concerned parents throughout the State of Illinois and the nation at large must encourage their children to use the Internet in a safe and responsible manner and to be aware of the dangers that present themselves with this powerful and useful, yet hazardous, tool; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate the date of March 10, 2008 as Internet Safety Awareness Day in the State of Illinois in recognition of the increased danger associated with Internet predators.