CMP's Carol Ellison, HomePC Senior Editor/Education, to Guest on Oprah Winfrey Show Wednesday, January 15

This Wednesday, January 15, Carol Ellison, HomePC's Senior Editor/Education, will appear as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss one of the most important issues currently affecting the online community: children's safety on the Internet. Inspired by headlines detailing the disappearance of a 14 year old girl who is presumed to have run away with a 22 year old man she met on the Net, this episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show is a must-watch for parents who want to keep abreast of the most sensible and effective ways to keep children out of harm's way as they explore life online. In an effort to give parents the tools they need to safeguard their children, Ellison and a panel of other experts will deliver tips about safe surfing.

The information Ellison delivers on the Oprah Winfrey Show will also be made available on the HomePC Web site (on the Web at http://www.homepcmag.com/, or America Online: Keyword: HomePC).

"A large amount of online content is comprised of educational, entertaining, recreational, and informative resources," said Ellison. "However, there are also Web sites that contain adult material, and chat rooms and forums that deal with adult issues. Inevitably, these sites attract adults and, unfortunately, sometimes also those who have questionable intentions. The curious nature of children makes them want to explore these areas of the Web, and in a worst case scenario, the curious child can come in contact with the misguided adult. The results can range from upsetting -- a child may be left feeling uncomfortable about what he or she has been exposed to -- to devastating, as in the case of the teenager who absconded with an older man she met on the Net."

Ellison adds that with younger children, parents often assist and/or supervise them in their time online. However older children -- especially teens -- often surf the Net alone, and on Wednesday's episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Ellison will also demonstrate how easy it is for them to access adult material on the Web. Following is a look at some of the tips she will be offering parents who are concerned about this issue:

  1. Don't talk to strangers.
  2. Never meet someone you met online in a private location.
  3. Don't let your children enter private chat or discussion areas.
  4. Be discreet:  Don't offer up any personal information such as full
      name, home address or phone number.
  5. Be as polite online as you would in person.
  6. If you're on a service or at a site that's password protected, never
      give your password to anyone.
  7. Don't post photos of your property, your family or where you live
      or work.
  8. Your gender should not be important to anyone else online, unless
      you are specifically visiting an online dating service.
  9. If someone makes lewd, unwanted, or antagonistic advances toward you or
      any member of your family, report their user name or e-mail address to
      whomever is hosting the service (Webmasters, online producers, etc.).
  10. Install and use an Internet control tool such as SurfNanny or
       SurfWatch to keep your children away from sites intended for mature
       or adult audiences.
  11. Never let your children surf unsupervised.
  12. Don't let your children enter or read the contents of Newsgroups
       alone, if at all.

Published monthly by CMP Media Inc., HomePC provides easy-to-understand information about home computers, and each issue is packed with engaging features, trouble-shooting tips and first-hand product reviews. The magazine's editors and columnists are the foremost experts in education, entertainment, and productivity products for home computers -- and can be reached via America Online (keyword: HomePC) or on the Internet at http://www.homepcmag.com/.

CMP Media Inc., now in its 26th year of uninterrupted growth, is the only provider of publishing, marketing and information services to reach the entire spectrum of the high-technology market -- the builders, sellers and users of technology. With sales of $418 million in 1996, CMP marked a quarter century of success with an average annual growth of 20 percent. All of CMP's publications and a series of innovative news and interactive services are available on the World Wide Web through CMP's TechWeb® http://www.techweb.com/, the industry's first free daily technology news and interactive services super site. CMP Media is also the creator of NetGuide Live (http://www.netguide.com/), the first comprehensive daily listing of live events on the Internet and commercial online services, and First-TV (http://www.first-tv.com/), the Internet's first 24-hour TV/video network.

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SOURCE: CMP Media Inc.

CONTACT: Leslie Dunbar of CMP Media, 516-562-7040