[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 64 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4896-S4897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 486--DESIGNATING JUNE 2006 AS ``NATIONAL INTERNET 
                             SAFETY MONTH''

  Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Craig, Mr. Stevens, Mr. 
Vitter, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Burns, Mrs. Lincoln, 
Mr. Warner, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Santorum, and Mr. DeWine) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 486

       Whereas, in the United States, more than 90 percent of 
     children between the ages of 5 years old and 17 years old, or 
     approximately 47,000,000 children, now use computers;
       Whereas approximately 59 percent of children in that age 
     group, or approximately 31,000,000 children, use the 
     Internet;
       Whereas approximately 26 percent of the children of the 
     United States in grades 5 through 12 are online for more than 
     5 hours a week;
       Whereas approximately 12 percent of those children spend 
     more time online than they spend interacting with their 
     friends;
       Whereas approximately 53 percent of the children and teens 
     of the United States like to be alone when ``surfing'' the 
     Internet;
       Whereas approximately 29 percent of those children believe 
     that their parents would express concern, restrict their 
     Internet use, or take away their computer if their parents 
     knew which sites they visited while surfing on the Internet;
       Whereas approximately 32 percent of the students of the 
     United States in grades 5 through 12 feel that they have the 
     skills to bypass protections offered by the installation of 
     filtering software;
       Whereas approximately 31 percent of the youths of the 
     United States have visited an inappropriate website on the 
     Internet;
       Whereas approximately 18 percent of those children have 
     visited an inappropriate website more than once;
       Whereas approximately 51 percent of the students of the 
     United States in grades 5 through 12 trust the individuals 
     that they chat with on the Internet;
       Whereas approximately 33 percent of the students of the 
     United States in grades 5

[[Page S4897]]

     through 12 have chatted on the Internet with an individual 
     whom they have not met in person;
       Whereas approximately 11.5 percent of those students have 
     later met with a stranger with whom they chatted on the 
     Internet;
       Whereas approximately 39 percent of the youths of the 
     United States in grades 5 through 12 have admitted to giving 
     out their personal information, iincluding their name, age, 
     and gender, over the Internet; and
       Whereas approximately 14 percent of those youths have 
     received mean or threatening email while on the Internet: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 2006 as ``National Internet Safety 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes that National Internet Safety Month provides 
     the citizens of the United States with an opportunity to 
     learn more about--
       (A) the dangers of the Internet; and
       (B) the importance of being safe and responsible online;
       (3) commends and recognizes national and community 
     organizations for--
       (A) promoting awareness of the dangers of the Internet; and
       (B) providing information and training that develops 
     critical thinking and decision-making skills that are needed 
     to use the Internet safely; and
       (4) calls on Internet safety organizations, law 
     enforcement, educators, community leaders, parents, and 
     volunteers to increase their efforts to raise the level of 
     awareness for the need for online safety in the United 
     States.

                          ____________________