Leahy: Parents Must Protect Kids Online - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Leahy: Parents Must Protect Kids Online

Brooke Bennett Brooke Bennett
Sen. Patrick Leahy Sen. Patrick Leahy

Burlington, Vermont - June 30, 2008

Vermont's senior senator says the Brooke Bennett case is a sad reminder of the need to protect children in this country.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, is a longtime supporter of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He successfully introduced legislation that extends funding for the missing persons group through 2013. Leahy says websites like MySpace-- the one investigators are looking at in the Bennett case-- are particularly risky because too many parents don't know what their kids are up to online.

"Unfortunately, kids are usually more computer-literate than their parents. I urge parents talk to your children, ask them what's going on on the computer. Tell them the person lurking on the corner is easy to spot, but the person lurking in cyberspace is not always as easy to spot," advises Leahy.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a program called NetSmartz that gives kids and parents tips for online safety. Click here for more.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News

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