Educating parents and children about the dangers of the Internet is not only wise, it may save lives or at least prevent serious injuries — both physical and mental.

A program that does that is in place in American Fork, thanks to Rick Bockman of the American Fork Police Department.

Bockman and Terry Schroeder, president of the California-based I-Safe program, collaborated to bring I-Safe to schools in American Fork two years ago.

The program is based on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, but instead of addressing alcohol or drug abuse, it focuses on Internet safety.

As Bockman observes, "not every kid is drinking or doing dope (but) every kid is on the Internet."

American Fork's program includes educating parents, letting them know how easy it is for children to access inappropriate graphic material online. Many if not most parents don't realize how simple it is for children to access pornography and other inappropriate material.

American Fork's program is having a nationwide impact. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said last Monday that she would like to bring the I-Safe program to New York.

It already is in more than 30 communities across the nation including Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta and Omaha, Neb.

Almost daily it seems there are stories of teenagers or younger children being lured to a meeting following an online chat, many times by people purporting to be someone else.

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As chronicled on Page A1 in the Deseret News last Tuesday, a 15-year-old girl was kidnapped by a Long Island couple after she was enticed to a meeting after an online chat. She was then sexually and physically abused, police said.

While law enforcement agencies are expending more time and resources combatting Internet crime, the sheer volume of cyberspace abuse limits how much the agencies can do.

That's where programs like the one being used in American Fork become helpful. Parents and children learn together about the dangers of cyberspace and how to avoid them.

Bockman and American Fork are to be commended for realizing how serious a problem the Internet is and taking appropriate steps to combat it.

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