Video addresses potential dangers teens face on networking sites

An Internet safety program with new information about social networking sites such as MySpace.com, FaceBook.com and Xanga.com is available for Idaho parents, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said.

The new version of the ProtecTeens CD describes the nature and content of such Web sites and explains how to find out if your child has a social networking site profile and how to delete it.

“As a parent, I feel it is important for Idahoans to be aware of the dangers of popular social networking Web sites such as MySpace,” Wasden said in a press release. “Sexual predators use social networking sites to prey on teens.”

The disc also includes a dictionary of Internet lingo – a parent’s guide to decoding acronyms, abbreviated text and emoticons used in chat rooms, instant messages, text messaging and blogging.

ProtecTeens also includes a guide for parents to make basic changes to computer settings to help prevent family members from becoming victims of Internet predators.