Keeping your family safe online

PERRYSBURG, Ohio - First it was Instant Messaging, then MySpace, now Facebook and Twitter have been thrown into the social media mix.

It can be a lot for parents to keep up with, especially when kids tend to catch on a lot quicker.

Facebook allows you to connect with friends, and share information, photos, videos and more with them. Twitter, which is like a blog, limits you to only so many letters (140 characters) that keeps your online updates brief.

These aren't just some newfangled things for the youngsters anymore.

Toledo police say that is one more level of parental involvement -- the kind that'll keep kids safe.

"I feel pretty safe online," said Connor Leupp, a 14-year-old who has a Facebook profile.

"He's a 14 year-old boy, and he doesn't know," said Vicki Leupp, his mother. "He doesn't know the people that are out there - the pervs, the strange ones."

That's why Vicki keeps tabs on her eighth-grade son Connor. She and her husband, Rob, and their 21-year-old son Max, are all on Facebook.

But, for one member of the Perrysburg family, there's a catch...

"We allowed Connor, who's 14 years old, to also get a Facebook, but under strict orders that mom and dad would have his password and we were free to look at anything that was on there at any time," Vicki said.

"At first I thought it would be like that, you know, I wouldn't get a Facebook (account) if she doesn't have the password," Connor added. "But, I think as I went on, I understand to keep me safe, nothing bad going on, nobody tries to stalk me or anything like that.

Area police departments agree with that logic.

"The more parental involvement, the more parental concern, the more knowledge parents have the better," said Lieutenant David Schmidt of Toledo police property crimes.

But both Lt. Schmidt and Mrs. Leupp think, there's a good number of parents who let their childrens' activity go unchecked - whether it's fear of being too controlling, not understanding the technology, or just not caring at all. That's when dangerous, even tragic situations, present themselves.

"You've got completely blissfully ignorant parents."

"I think there's a lot more positives, as long as you've got parents that are involved," Lt. Schmidt said. "Although, in this day-in-age, they might be physically there, mentally absent, so there's our trouble, and you can't fix that. You can't fix stupid."

Speaking of stupid, Lt. Schmidt says so often, people just don't think about what they're putting online, especially with things like Facebook statuses and microblogging sites like Twitter.

A simple update can provide a lot of information for people who know how to use it, maliciously.

"The famous, 'Oh, my parents aren't home right now,' or, 'Gee, I can't talk now because my parents just came home from work,' because you're telling that person that you're home alone, or when your parents are working," Lt. Schmidt said. "You don't know what that other person's up to all the time."

"There's pedophiles out there, there's criminals out there, be it burglars, pedophiles, whatever that would want to get in your house and know about you, and find out information about you," Vicki added.

And don't think they won't go out of their way to deceive you. Lt. Schmidt points out that Facebook's policy of using a "real name" to sign up, while it may seem safer in most cases, could provide a false sense of security. Which is why, as Facebook says, you should only friend people you know in person.

If you don't recognize a picture or a name, don't be a friend just because everything seems legit.

"I'm going to have a Facebook page, I'm probably going to get Arnold Schwarzenegger's picture on there and tell everybody I'm, you know, 6-foo-2, 180 pounds, and I can bench press 400," Lt. Schmidt said.

No comment from the peanut gallery on that one.

But let's give you a few other tips, some you might not have heard before.

Like Vicki, have your kids' passwords. They might think it's a little much, so don't go nuts about every little thing, but address those safety issues. They're your kids -- you're responsible for them.

Use security settings on whatever site you're on. If you don't know how, search around, ask a friend for help or e-mail the company. But, remember, while you may think you've completely disappeared, it is the Internet, so that's impossible. But it can hide you pretty well.

Keep your computer in a shared room -- not a kid's bedroom. It'll help you at least keep an eye on things.

Now, when all's said and done, both police and members of the Leupp family say you or your kids shouldn't outright avoid sites like Facebook or Twitter just because of safety concerns. They say with the right steps and parental involvement, it's something that can be more positive than negative, for all age groups.

"I am a Facebook friend with my cousins who live in Europe," Vicki said. "My family that lives far away - I'm here in Ohio, they're in California, Texas, and Arizona - and I have contact with them. I've reconnected with friends I haven't seen since junior high or high school. It's a wonderful tool."