JON S. CORZINE  Governor                                                                                                                                                                          ZULIMA V. FARBER  Attorney General

                   

State of New Jersey
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL .
DEPARTMENT OF LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
PO Box 080
TRENTON. NJ 08625-0080


May 23, 2006

Dear Parents and Guardians:

We are calling on you to help us respond to an emerging concern regarding the inappropriate use of the Internet among children, both in and out of school. We need your support to help us meet the challenge of continuing to protect children and providing them with a safe learning environment.

We are finding on the state and national levels that certain kinds of computer use outside of school can have harmful effects on our children. Research is linking negative student behavior - such as cyber bullying, or contact with child predators, to social networking websites such as Myspace.com.

Cyber bullies use the anonymity of the Internet to hurt others through sites that allow chatting by instant messaging and posting of messages and pictures. In addition, adults posing as youths have gained access to chat rooms frequented by youngsters, sometimes with tragic results. Victims of cyber bullying and other harmful acts often are reluctant to tell anyone, fearing that they may lose their Internet privileges.

As a parent, you need to know that concerns over these issues are very real, and that you can play an important role in keeping your children safe by getting more informed and involved in your children's use of the Internet.

On Thursday, May 25 we will be traveling to several different schools throughout New Jersey to demonstrate our commitment to protecting children from Internet predators. The presentations on "Internet Safety Day" will be conducted by county prosecutors, the Division of Criminal Justice, and the New Jersey State Police.

We further urge you to familiarize yourself with social networking websites. MySpace.com has become the most popular site, with more than 57 million members nationwide. If you have never visited MySpace.com we encourage you to do so (see attachment). There, you can see the types of personal information, messages, diaries and photos that students share. Also, please talk with your children about their use of the Internet and its potential dangers, and monitor the use of computers at home.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our children safe. If you would like more information, please contact Lt. James Corbley, Unit Head of Digital Technology Investigations Unit at 888- 648-6007 in the Department of Law & Public Safety, or Anthony Bland at 609-292-5935 in the Department of Education.

Zulima V. Farber
Attorney General


Lucille E. Davy .
Acting Commissioner of Education

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