March 11, 1998 (Birmingham, AL)
FBI Director Louis Freeh testified before a Senate hearing yesterday
that child predators are a growing problem on children’s web
sites and chat rooms. A local child advocacy group says that
Alabama children are being needlessly exposed to Internet dangers
by the controversial in-school TV show, Channel One. Obligation
says that the show daily urges children to visit its potentially
dangerous chat rooms at www.channelone.com.
"I fervently urge every
school system that still has Channel One to immediately discontinue
broadcasting the show until an assessment can be made of the
risks associated with the in-school Channel One TV show and the
Channel One web site," Jim Metrock, president of Obligation,
said.
"Parents have no idea that
their child is required to be shown a TV show that daily encourages
them to log onto a very controversial web site. There are many
problems with Channel One- the TV show, and Channel One- the
web site, but the most immediate danger to children comes from
the chat rooms. The Channel One anchors, often adored by younger
students, exhort the children to visit their chat rooms."
Metrock continued, "The
school is tacitly endorsing everything that is advertised on
Channel One, and that includes the Channel One web site. A child
may feel a false sense of security believing that his or her
school is encouraging their experimentation with chat rooms."
"Chat rooms are magnets
for child predators. FBI special agent Linda Hooper also testified
before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
State and the Judiciary that when she pretended to be a teenage
girl signing onto a chat room limited to 23 children, all 22
other "youths" turned out to be adults seeking improper
contact with her."
Metrock said, "Parents need
to be blocking access to, or monitoring a child’s use of, chat
rooms. We certainly don’t need our public schools to be promoting
an activity to our children that parents would want to protect
their child from. School board attorneys should be evaluating
the potential legal liability to a board if a child is injured
by using a chat room that was relentless advertised in its schools."
Obligation has requested State
Superintendent Dr. Ed Richardson to encourage school systems
to temporarily halt Channel One broadcasts so each community
can evaluate the appropriateness of the program and web site.
Also, the Attorney General’s office has been asked to evaluate
the dangers to Alabama schoolchildren.
Channel One is the 12-minute
current events TV show that has been criticized by educational
organizations like the National Association of Secondary School
Principals, the American Association of School Administrators,
and the Alabama and National PTA. Obligation has been a vocal
critic of the program since 1996.
_____________
Birmingham-area schools with Channel One contracts: Bessemer,
Fairfield, Jefferson County, Midfield, Shelby County, Tarrant,
and Vestavia Hills.
Other resources:
FBI – www.fbi.gov; The Center for Missing and Exploited Children
– www.missingkids.com
Channel One – www.channelone.com; Obligation, Inc. – www.obligation.org;
Dr. Bruce Wright, Superintendent, Jefferson County Schools 930-3800;
Mr. Bill Sparks, Superintendent, Shelby County Schools 669-5600;
Dr. Ed Richardson, State Superintendent 334-242-9700; Mr. Bill
Pryor, Alabama Attorney General 334-242-7300
