TALLAHASSEE, FL – In response to the incident involving a 15-year-old California girl who was lured to Florida by a man she had met online, Attorney General Bill McCollum released the following statement on the importance of internet safety:

“Social networking sites can be a lot of fun for teens, but unfortunately, those sites can exploited for the purpose of finding and victimizing children,” said Attorney General Bill McCollum. “Kids post their hopes, their fears and dreams online, and internet child predators know how to take advantage of that. Teens need to be aware of that possibility, and parents should educate themselves about the internet to help their children use it safely.”

Attorney General McCollum urged parents to familiarize themselves with his website dedicated to online safety, http://www.safeflorida.net/safesurf. The website includes comprehensive information on internet safety for young children, teens and their parents.