[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6309-H6311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF ``NATIONAL INTERNET SAFETY MONTH''

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1260) supporting the goals and ideals of ``National 
Internet Safety Month''.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1260

       Whereas, during the 110th Congress, the House of 
     Representatives has passed several bills aimed at protecting 
     children online and promoting Internet safety education;
       Whereas, on June 12, 2007, the House of Representatives 
     passed H. Res. 455 recognizing ``National Internet Safety 
     Month'';
       Whereas, on May 22, 2008, the Senate passed S. Res. 567 
     designating June 2008 as ``National Internet Safety Month'';
       Whereas the Federal Trade Commission, in coordination with 
     several other Federal agencies, maintains OnGuard Online, a 
     Web-based resource to educate all Americans on Internet 
     safety;
       Whereas law enforcement, educators, community leaders, 
     nonprofit organizations, and Internet service providers have 
     sought to raise awareness for Internet safety across the 
     United States;
       Whereas America's youth will need to master the Internet to 
     stay competitive in a global information economy;
       Whereas there are more than 1,000,000,000 Internet users 
     worldwide;
       Whereas, in the United States, more than 35,000,000 
     children in kindergarten through grade 12 have Internet 
     access;
       Whereas 93 percent of children between 12 and 17 years old 
     use the Internet;
       Whereas more than half of all of online children between 12 
     and 17 years old use an online social networking site;
       Whereas 43 percent of teens between 13 and 17 have 
     experienced cyberbullying within the past year;
       Whereas approximately 24 percent of students in grades 5 
     through 12 have hidden their online activities from their 
     parents;
       Whereas 61 percent of the students admit to using the 
     Internet unsafely or inappropriately;
       Whereas 68 percent of parents have household rules about 
     what type of Internet sites their child can or cannot visit;
       Whereas 56 percent of parents feel that online bullying of 
     children is an issue that needs to be addressed;
       Whereas 65 percent of parents report that after their child 
     has been on the Internet, they check to see what Web sites he 
     or she viewed;
       Whereas 47 percent of parents feel that their ability to 
     monitor and shelter their children from inappropriate 
     material on the Internet is limited; and
       Whereas 61 percent of parents want to be more personally 
     involved with Internet safety: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of ``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 the importance of being safe 
     and responsible online;
       (3) commends and recognizes national and community 
     organizations for--
       (A) promoting the safe use 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 parents, educators, Internet safety 
     organizations, law enforcement, community leaders, Internet 
     service providers, and volunteers to increase their efforts 
     to raise the level of awareness for the need for online 
     safety in the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Hill) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1260, a 
resolution that expresses support for the goals and ideals of National 
Internet Safety Month.
  During the past decade, the Internet has become an integral part of 
our lives. Members of our armed services stationed abroad use the 
Internet to stay in contact with their families.
  Telemedicine relies on the Internet to bring cutting-edge medical 
care to rural residents in their communities, reducing health care 
costs without sacrificing the high quality of service that everyone 
deserves.
  Through the Internet, our students have access to the world's 
informational and educational resources. Distance learning levels the 
playing field so that all students have the opportunity to learn.
  The Internet has also had a profound impact on the way that we do 
business. Through the Internet, the entire world has become a market 
for American goods and services.
  Our children have never known a world without the Internet. They have 
incorporated the advantages of the Internet into their everyday lives, 
to communicate with their friends, to do research for school 
assignments, and to entertain themselves.

[[Page H6310]]

  The Internet offers great promise to the next generation. In order to 
achieve those promises, we must give our children the tools they need 
to safely navigate the Internet.
  Just as the Internet has offered many good people the opportunity to 
better themselves, it has also created a pathway for dangerous 
activities. This is most troubling when the potential victims are our 
children.
  Internet Safety Month reminds us all that there are ways to use the 
Internet wisely and responsibly.
  The Federal Trade Commission has created ``OnGuard Online,'' a 
resource for both parents and children to take advantage of all of the 
opportunities of the Internet in a safe and responsible manner.
  Congress provided for the establishment of a kids.us domain to 
provide a safe online environment for children and help prevent them 
from being exposed to harmful material on the Internet.
  Educational, industry, and community-based organizations have also 
created resources to help families use the Internet safely. If we 
educate our children, we give them the tools they need to navigate the 
Internet safely.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the goals and 
ideals of National Internet Safety Month.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise also in strong support of H. Res. 
1260, supporting the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety 
Month. This legislation is very important, and of course, it's quite 
timely. I urge my colleagues obviously to support it.
  The Internet, as we all know, has revolutionized communications, 
business, and entertainment. Much of its success is due to the largely 
unregulated status that we have given it. Industry has done a 
tremendous job of deploying it, including to children, who increasingly 
rely on it to learn and to create things.
  In the United States, more than 35 million children in kindergarten 
through grade 12 have Internet access, and 93 percent of children 
between 12 and 17 years old use the Internet. But just like any other 
technology, it is sometimes used by bad people to do bad things.
  Recent studies show that sexual predators, cyber bullies, cyber 
stalkers, and identity thieves represent very real online dangers for 
children of all ages. According to the Crimes Against Children Research 
Center, 22 percent of people targeted by online predators were children 
with ages between 10 and 13. The National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children reports 25 percent of children say they've received 
unwanted sexual material while simply surfing the Internet. The 
Identity Theft Resource Center reports that children are the newest 
target for identity theft, since they can be easily persuaded to 
divulge personal information, and the crime is unlikely to be 
discovered until the victim is much older. As these numbers 
demonstrate, Internet safety should be of paramount concern to all of 
us.
  Furthermore, these statistics highlight why online safety education 
is so very important. By arming parents and children with the 
information, we can go a long way to avoiding some of the pitfalls out 
there on the Internet and obviously maximize its benefits.
  That's why I support National Internet Safety Month and this 
resolution, and I urge its support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, the creator of this piece of legislation is 
our next speaker. She has worked tirelessly and skillfully in bringing 
this issue to the floor of the House of Representatives, and at this 
time, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from 
Illinois (Ms. Bean).
  Ms. BEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for 
yielding and for his work to promote Internet safety.
  I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1260, which supports the 
goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month, and I echo the 
sentiments shared by my colleagues here tonight. Consideration of this 
resolution today follows House passage of a similar resolution last 
year recognizing June as National Internet Safety Month. Although we 
are considering today's resolution just following the close of the 
month, I believe it is important to recognize June 2008 as National 
Internet Safety Month and use this opportunity to continue to raise 
awareness for Internet safety.
  H. Res. 1260 recognizes the important work many Internet safety 
organizations, Internet service providers, all levels of government, 
schools, parents, and concerned citizens do regularly to protect 
children online and promote Internet safety education.
  The resolution calls on all concerned citizens to increase their 
efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online safety 
in the United States.
  I want to commend the Internet safety organizations, Internet service 
providers, FTC, and other individuals who joined me this June in 
launching the National Partnership for Safe Computing. I am proud to 
join Congressman Frank Wolf as a co-chair of this partnership, which 
will work with Members of Congress to provide resources and experts for 
Internet safety forums in their districts.
  Over 35 million students have access to the Internet and use it every 
day to expand their knowledge beyond what they can learn in textbooks 
and in the classroom.
  But while the Internet has increased their productivity and opened 
new opportunities to our children, it has also created new threats. 
These threats, whether it be unwanted online solicitations, Internet 
scams, or cyber bullying, are troubling and real.
  In order for our children to use the Internet safely, we must work 
together to raise awareness, and as noted in today's resolution, 93 
percent of children between 12 and 17 years old use the Internet 
regularly. Half of them use an online social networking site. Forty-
three percent of teens between 13 and 17 have experienced cyber 
bullying within the past year. And 61 percent of students admit to 
using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately.
  Fortunately, our schools and nonprofits, local, State and Federal 
governments, and concerned corporate citizens have been actively 
engaging children regarding Internet safety. Programs vary, but they 
all emphasize the importance of protecting personal information, 
keeping parents informed of Internet actions, and being careful who 
kids are talking to when they're online.
  Over the last few years, parents have been getting more involved in 
their children's actions online, but there's room for improvement. As 
noted in today's resolution, 68 percent of parents have household rules 
about what type of Internet sites their children can or cannot visit, 
and 65 percent of parents review the Web sites their children have 
visited while on the Internet.
  But parents need to stay engaged and ask their children what they're 
doing online. As a parent, you wouldn't let your son or daughter play 
with a friend without knowing who was in charge and where they would be 
playing. The same should be the case with the Internet. It is a large 
virtual playground, and just like the stranger danger at the 
neighborhood park, kids need to be supervised.
  While raising awareness is important, I am very proud that since June 
2007, when we recognized National Internet Safety Month last, the House 
has passed several pieces of legislation as part of an Internet safety 
initiative. They included the SAFER NET Act, which I introduced, which 
would authorize national public awareness campaigns and create a 
virtual clearinghouse of all necessary Internet safety information at 
the FTC.

                              {time}  1845

  We also passed the PROTECT Act, which I introduced with Congresswoman 
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which would build a strong nationwide network 
of highly trained law enforcement experts to track down the digital 
footprints of known sex offenders.
  The KIDS Act was also passed, which was introduced by Congressman 
Earl Pomeroy, which I was proud to cosponsor, and would require sex 
offenders to

[[Page H6311]]

register their e-mail and instant message addresses with the National 
Sex Offender Registry so Internet service providers could prohibit 
their access to Web sites used by children. They already have to 
register their physical addresses if they move into your community. 
They should also have to register their Internet addresses as well. 
These bills and the others the House has passed will assist parents and 
teachers in keeping our kids safe online.
  In closing, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1260 and 
encourage them to use the recent observance of National Internet Safety 
Month as an opportunity to support the efforts of our local, State and 
Federal Government, our local and national nonprofit organizations, and 
other concerned citizens in promoting Internet safety.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and 
urge my colleagues to support this very good legislation.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, a designated National Internet Safety Month 
would provide parents, educators, and communities with an opportunity 
to further coordinate efforts to protect our children on the Internet. 
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 
1260, a bill that recognizes June 2008 as National Internet Safety 
Month, and supports helping all citizens, especially our children, to 
learn more about being safe and responsible online.
  The Internet is truly transformational technology that over 21 
million teens--87 percent of kids across the Nation--take advantage of 
everyday. While this technology has presented our children with 
unprecedented opportunities, it has also presented our kids with new 
dangers.
  Just as we tell our kids not to talk to strangers when we send them 
off to school, the digital age now requires us to give our children the 
same warning when they log on to the Internet. Parents, educators, 
Internet safety organizations, and law enforcement have taken 
extraordinary measures to proactively help our children avoid the 
dangers that exist on the Internet, and we must continue to increase 
our efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online 
safety.
  I have long been a strong supporter of internet safety efforts, and I 
believe that Congress must continuously update our laws to keep our 
children safe from sexual predators who would exploit our children with 
this technology. I strongly urge you to support House Resolution 1260 
to make sure that all citizens know about the importance of online 
safety.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 1260 supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Internet Safety 
Month''. I would first like to thank my distinguished colleague, 
Representative Melissa Bean of Illinois, for introducing this important 
legislation. The bill reaffirms our commitment to the safety of our 
children when they use the internet and the importance of providing 
information and training to develop skills to use the internet safely.
  We all know what an amazing tool the internet is. We can do 
everything from taking classes to reconnecting with old friends online. 
But despite this, the internet has many flaws.
  In America, 93 percent of children ages 12 to 17 use the internet, 
but how wisely do they use it? Studies have shown that approximately 24 
percent of students in grades 5 through 12 have hidden their online 
activities from their parents and 61 percent of them admit to using the 
internet unsafely or inappropriately. Even when they aren't looking at 
inappropriate material, children are picking on one another. 43 percent 
of teens ages 13 to 17 have experienced cyber bullying within the past 
year. This must stop.
  It saddens me that a wonderful resource like the internet can be used 
in such a damaging way. Cyber bullying is a serious epidemic that must 
be addressed by all levels of government. Unlike regular bullying, 
where there is often physical damage, cyber bullies leave their victims 
with lasting emotional trauma. With the high level of connectivity our 
children now have, it is nearly impossible for them to escape these new 
bullies. We owe our children more.
  It is up to us to teach our children the difference between right and 
wrong in life and this principle should not be ignored when dealing 
with the internet. In passing this resolution, we are telling parents 
that the children need guidance and that it is their responsibility to 
provide that guidance.
  And we can help the parents in their task. 61 percent of parents want 
to be more involved in the internet safety of their children. It is 
simply a matter of giving them the tools they need to get involved. 
When we pass this legislation, we help parents, educators, Internet 
service providers, and volunteers to increase their efforts to raise 
the level of awareness for the need for online safety in the United 
States.
  The Houston public libraries have recently adopted a budget that 
would allow them to provide all their branches full internet access. In 
doing so, however, they added a limitation: the computers in the 
children's section would have filters to prevent them from accessing 
inappropriate material. This is an example the rest of the nation needs 
to follow. We can all take simple actions like installing filters and 
monitoring internet use to make our children safer.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution and establish our 
support of internet safety. Tell communities around the nation we need 
to follow the example of Houston's public libraries and consider the 
children when designing policies. Tell communities that progress needs 
to be made.
  Mr. HILL. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1260.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________