kotler

Senator Kotler Republican  Florida




 * About Me:**


 * Senator Kotler was elected, in large part, due to her unrelenting mission to always strive for the safety and moral upkeep of the state and its citizens. Although some disagree with her inclination to raise taxes, many agree that Senator Kotler’s practices require “small change for big change!”**


 * Title:**

Internet Safety Training: Making the Web Safer Through Education and Awareness


 * Sponsors names:**

Courtney Kotler


 * Purpose:**

· To ensure that schools educate students on the proper ways to navigate the Internet. · To educate students and parents on the current laws that exist regarding Internet misuse. · To create an awareness of practices, groups and websites that intend to harm and exploit children. · To create an awareness of different types of viruses that can damage and manipulate computer functioning. · To make both students and parents aware of the groups and agencies where Internet misuse can and should be reported to.


 * Findings:**
 * 79% of youth unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home (Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, 2006).
 * K-1st grade students access the Internet using various devices for a variety of purposes, including playing online games and communicating with other people. Online gaming is increasingly popular among younger students. (Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008)
 * 48 percent of students K-1st grade level interact with people on Web sites, while 50 percent indicate that their parents watch them when they use a computer, leaving the other half of those youngsters more prone to being exposed to predation behaviors or other threats posed by online strangers or even persons they know or regard as friends. (Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008)
 * 48 percent of K-1st reported viewing online content that made them feel uncomfortable, of which 72 percent reported the experience to a grownup, meaning that one in four children did not. (Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008)
 * 32 percent of teens clear the browser history to hide what they do online from their parents. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 16 percent have created private e-mail addresses or social networking profiles to hide what they do online from their parents. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 63 percent of teens said they know how to hide what they do online from their parents. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 43 percent have closed or minimized the browser at the sound of a parental step. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 11 percent have unlocked/disabled/ parental/filtering controls. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 52 percent of teens have given out personal information online to someone they don't know offline including personal photos and/or physical descriptions of themselves (24 percent). Double the number of teen girls have shared photos or physical descriptions of themselves online as boys. (34 percent girls vs. 15 percent boys) (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * 20 percent of teens have engaged in cyberbullying behaviors, including posting mean or hurtful information or embarrassing pictures, spreading rumors, publicizing private communications, sending anonymous e-mails or cyberpranking someone. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * A quarter of teens would be shocked (24 percent), one in five would feel hurt (19 percent) and 34 percent would feel offended if they found out their mother was keeping track of what they do online without their knowledge or permission. (Harris Interactive-McAfee 10/2008)
 * A large majority of teens (71 percent) have established online profiles (including those on social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster and Xanga), up from 61 percent in 2006. (National teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007 among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17. The research was conducted online by TRU. [|http://www.cox.com/TakeCharge/...ocs/survey_results_2007.ppt] ).
 * 65 percent of high school students admit to unsafe, inappropriate, or illegal activities online (Market Wire. November 6, 2006. i-SAFE Inc. December 12, 2006 [] ).
 * 38 percent of high school students sometimes hide their online activities from their parents (Market Wire. November 6, 2006. i-SAFE Inc. December 12, 2006 [] ).
 * The risks to children, particularly teenagers, in cyberspace include exposure to unwanted exposure to sexual material (1 in 3 youth) and harassment -- threatening or other offensive behavior directed at them (1 in 11 youth). (Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. 2006. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Crimes Against Children Research Center, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. December 4, 2006. [] ).
 * 31 percent of 7th to 12th-graders pretended to be older to get onto a website. (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts. Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006, [|http://www.kff.org/entmedia/up...f-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf] ).
 * Nearly one-third (31percent) of 8- to 18-year-olds have a computer in their bedroom, and one in five (20 percent) have an Internet connection there (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts. Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006, [|http://www.kff.org/entmedia/up...f-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf] ).
 * Three in four (74 percent) young people have a home Internet connection (31 percent have high-speed access). Nearly one-third (31 percent) have a computer in their bedroom, and one in five (20 percent) have an Internet connection there. In a typical day, about half of young people (48 percent) go online from home, 20 percent from school, and 16 percent from someplace else (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts. Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006, [|http://www.kff.org/entmedia/up...f-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf] ).
 * Among the 96 percent of young people who have ever gone online, 65 percent say they go online most often from home, 14 percent from school, 7 percent from a friend's house, and 2 percent from a library or other location (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts. Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006, [|http://www.kff.org/entmedia/up...f-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf] ).
 * One in ten young people (13 percent) reports having a handheld device that connects to the Internet (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Study, March 2005).
 * The most common recreational activities young people engage in on the computer are playing games and communicating through instant messaging (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. (Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts, Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006, [] ).
 * Frequently children in 4th-6th grade levels engage in social networking activities. In the process they post personal, potentially exploitable, information about themselves online. Specifically, and within the last school year: 16% posted personal interests online, 15% posted information about their physical activities and 20% gave out their real name. In addition, 5% posted information about their school, 6% posted their home address, 6% posted their phone number and 9% posted pictures of themselves. (Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008)
 * A majority of teens (58 percent) don't think posting photos or other personal info on social networking sites is unsafe. (National teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007 among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17. The research was conducted online by TRU. [|http://www.cox.com/TakeCharge/...ocs/survey_results_2007.ppt] ).
 * Teens readily post personal info online. 64 percent post photos or videos of themselves, while more than half (58 percent) post info about where they live. Females are far more likely than male teens to post personal photos or videos of themselves (70 percent vs. 58 percent). (National teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007 among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17. The research was conducted online by TRU. [|http://www.cox.com/TakeCharge/...ocs/survey_results_2007.ppt] ).
 * Nearly one in 10 teens (8 percent ) has posted his or her cell phone number online. (National teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007 among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17. The research was conducted online by TRU. [|http://www.cox.com/TakeCharge/...ocs/survey_results_2007.ppt] ).
 * Teens who have online profiles are generally more likely to say it is okay to give out certain pieces of personal information in offline situations than they are to have that information actually posted to their profile. Teens with online profiles have a greater tendency to say it is fine to share where they go to school, their IM screen name, email address, last name and cell phone number with someone they met at a party, when compared with the percentage who actually post that information online. The only piece of information they are more likely to share online rather than in person with a new acquaintance is the city and state where they live. (Lenhart, Amanda and Madden, Mary. Teens, Privacy, and Online Social Networks. Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 18, 2007 [|http://www.pewinternet.org/pdf...rivacy_SNS_Report_Final.pdf] ).
 * Some 23 percent of teen profile creators say it would be "pretty easy" for someone to find out who they are from the information posted to their profile, and 40 percent of teens with profiles online think that it would be hard for someone to find out who they are from their profile, but that they could eventually be found online. Another 36 percent say they think it would be "very difficult" for someone to identify them from their online profile. (Lenhart, Amanda and Madden, Mary. Teens, Privacy, and Online Social Networks. Pew Internet and American Life Project, April 18, 2007 [|http://www.pewinternet.org/pdf...rivacy_SNS_Report_Final.pdf] )


 * Eligibility: (if applicable**)

Although Internet misuse affects everyone, children are the most targeted and venerable. It is for this reason that students in grades K though 8 will receive the services outlined in this bill.


 * Terms and benefits: how will you achieve your purpose?**

· All students in grades K through 8 receiving a public education in the state of Florida must receive a “Safe Practices” course promoting Internet safety. · Funding for this program will be attained through a 10 cent sales tax initiative voted on by the public in the next state wide election. Once passed, 10 cents will be added to each purchase made in the state of Florida for the next 10 years. · All parents within the public school system in Florida must attend four mandatory Internet safety-training meetings per academic school year (1 per quarter). Students will also attend four Internet safety seminars during school hours run by government officials in addition to their yearly classes. · Within their computer courses students will study and research safe Internet practices, safe websites, harmful websites, exploitive techniques and manipulations, communication techniques and scripts when reporting unsafe practices to parents and authorities, the consequences of Internet misuse, the laws surrounding Internet misuse and avoidance strategies regarding many different types of viruses.