ATLANTA, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids are
growing up in a digital age and keeping up with the latest trends
and technology is a part of everyday life. Parents, on the other
hand, are oftentimes less savvy than their kids when it comes to
cyber behavior. In light of Internet Safety Month in June, Boys
& Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Sprint (NYSE:S) are
launching the third annual Cyber Safe Futures campaign, a digital
campaign aimed to raise Internet safety awareness among
parents.
One in three parents believes their teens to be much more
tech-savvy, leaving many feeling helpless when it comes to
monitoring their teen's online behavior.* Throughout the month of
June, BGCA and Sprint are inviting parents to submit their top
questions about cyberbullying, social networking, online privacy,
mobile smarts and other cyber-related issues. BGCA's CyberTribe, a
panel of Boys & Girls Club teens from around the world, will
answer parents' questions from a teens' perspective on
CyberSafeFutures.org. Their answers will educate parents and other
mentors to help avoid risky situations for their kids and teens
online.
"BGCA is committed to keeping kids safe, and today that also
means practicing safer online behavior," said Dr. Damon A. Williams, senior vice president and
chief education and youth development officer at BGCA. "But like
anything else in life, they need the support of adults to help
guide them through a constantly evolving digital world. We're
excited our Boys & Girls Club teens can provide their
perspective on what it takes to have a cyber safe future."
Also for parents on the campaign website, CyberSafeFutures.org,
is the Cyber Survivor Challenge, an interactive quiz that assesses
parents' cyber savviness and gives tips on key Internet safety
issues when it comes to their children. Additionally, the site
provides tips, tools and resources to educate parents on current
trends and how to have an open dialog with their children when it
comes to staying safe online.
"At Sprint, we are in the business of connecting people,
providing the tools and services they need to communicate," said
Debby Ballard, director of Community
Affairs at Sprint. "In this important partnership with Boys &
Girls Clubs of America, Sprint is proud to help provide tools
parents need, help families stay connected and help young people
stay safe when communicating online."
Since 2007, Sprint has donated more than $6 million to Internet safety initiatives. In
addition to this year's Cyber Safe Futures campaign, Sprint is
supporting 40 local Boys & Girls Clubs in their efforts to
provide a cyber safe future to youth through Internet and Media
Safety awareness events.
To submit a question and see teen responses, visit
CyberSafeFutures.org. Additional Sprint Internet-safety resources
can be found at www.4NetSafety.com.
*Source: "The Digital Divide: How the Online Behavior of Teens
is Getting Past Parents," McAfee, 6/2012. Visit CyberSafeFuture.org
to see all our Internet Safety statistics.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America:
For more than
100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has
enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as
productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more
than 4,000 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people
annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs
are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands
throughout the country, and serve military families in
BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations
worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun,
friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily
basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize
academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy
lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club
saved their lives. National headquarters are located in
Atlanta. Learn more at
http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) offers a comprehensive
range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the
freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users.
Sprint served nearly 55 million customers as of March 31, 2014 and is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies,
including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in
the United States; leading prepaid
brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction
Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer
satisfaction, across all 47 industries, over the last six years.
Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)
North America in 2011, 2012 and
2013. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or
www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America