Providing a Safe Online Experience for California's Children
As the Internet becomes today’s playground, social networking websites are increasingly being utilized by children and youth. There must be clear restrictions on sex offenders’ access to these websites to protect our children online. The Child Cyber Safety Act of 2010, legislation I am sponsoring that is authored by Assemblywoman Norma Torres, prohibits registered sex offenders from using social networking Internet sites.
Today, one in five children have been sexually solicited online. Only 25 percent of those children ever told their parents.
Just since 2007, the number of users on social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo has doubled. An estimated 750,000 children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social networking websites, despite many of these sites' prohibition on child users. Many millions more teenagers use social networking websites as one of their primary mechanisms for social interactions with other teenagers or adults. Nearly 80 percent of teen users report that they are not careful about giving out personal information online.
There are over 118,000 registered sex offenders in California, the highest number in the nation. According to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, internet pedophiles are becoming increasingly adept at using the Internet to mask their identity and using technology to assist in their search for victims.
Current state law requires that all individuals convicted of sex offenses in the State of California register as a sex offender in a statewide law enforcement database to allow for ongoing monitoring and tracking. The law requires registered sex offenders to notify law enforcement of any changes to their address or whereabouts on an ongoing basis.
Currently, there is no prohibition for registered sex offenders on using social networking Internet websites. AB 2208 will prohibit any registered sex offenders from using any Internet social networking website, requiring all offenders to sign this prohibition in writing at the time of their registration. A violation of this law would be a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding six months, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both imprisonment and fine.