Internet Use Part I
By Vivien Bergl, LCSW, CEAP
Employee Assistance Program Coordinator

By now most of us are regularly using the Internet and today’s younger generations never knew life
without it. However, as much as it has revolutionized our everyday life, its not something
to take for granted. This month’s etip will discuss:

How to be safe on the Internet
Internet addiction
Kids and the Internet
Internet etiquette
Internet safety – adults may think this is a concept that only applies to children and teens, but adults need to be aware of the potential risks.

Consider these statistics:

· The average age of a victim of Internet Crimes is 41.7 years old
· 30.2% of Internet Crime Victims are over 50 years old
· 64.3% of those who submit complaints on Internet crime are men; while only 35.7 are women

So before you become too alarmed, remember preventing yourself from being a victim means getting educated. A few simple recommendations are as follows:

· If you participate in chat rooms, maintain a blog or post photos of your family on a personal

web page, you may be vulnerable to cyber stalking (i.e. sending threatening e-mails, posting malicious information about you on various web sites and/or posting as you online in order to

defame your character.) Contact your service provider immediately if any of these occur!

· Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your neighbor or boss to know. Remember every detail

you share online about your life and the extended group of people you interact with is stored
somewhere!

· If you use online dating sites such as Eharmony or Match.com proceed cautiously. Never give

out personal information until you are sure about the person. Arrange to meet in a public place
during the day and make sure someone else knows where you are going. Use your own transportation.

There are many more suggestions but keeping educated and proceeding cautiously are the first steps
to protecting yourself. If you are concerned about identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission
Some useful web sites are www.netsmartz.org<http://www.netsmartz.org> or www.lookstogoodtobetrue.com<http://www.lookstogoodtobetrue.com>

Next week we will talk about internet addiction.

If you would like to talk about this or any other problem or concern, please call Solutions Employee
Assistance Program at 1800-526-3485 or go on line (safely of course) to www.solutions-eap.com<http://www.solutions-eap.com>

George "Bud" Wassell, M.S., LPC, CEAP
Director, Solutions EAP
213 Court Street
Middletown, CT 06457
800-526-3485
fax: 860-704-6221
http://www.solutions-eap.com