December 17, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new booklet has been released by the Federal Trade Commission and several other government agencies designed to help parents and teachers keep children safe when online or on mobile phones.

The booklet is called Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online and was unveiled today at Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C.

It provides guidance to parents and teachers about issues such as sexting, cyberbullying, mobile phone safety and protecting the family computer. The goal is to help kids avoid behaving badly online; steer clear of inappropriate content and protect themselves from bullies, hackers, predators and scammers.

The booklet is available at www.onguardonline.gov, the federal government’s online safety Web site. It’s a partnership of mover than a dozen federal agencies and the technology industry. It is also free and available for public use. You can download sections of the book, link to it or even post it on your own site.