The Houston Bar Association (HBA) and the Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA) have teamed up to provide students and their parents with information on cyberspace safety through the distribution of a new DVD, "R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace." The award-winning DVD was developed by the Texas Young Lawyers Association through a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. "R U Safe?" includes components for elementary, middle and high school students, as well as parents, that cover topics including cyber bullying, social networking, chat rooms, "sexting," and online predators.
The HBA contacted 26 school districts in the greater Houston area to offer copies of the DVD to each school, as well as private schools. The HYLA has developed a speakers program that will send an attorney to schools and parent-teacher organizations to present a 30-45 minute supplemental presentation that addresses how colleges/universities/ recruiters use social media and offers practical advice to all age groups on how to protect themselves. To date, 18 school districts and 32 private schools have requested DVDs or are providing a link to the DVD, and speakers are scheduled at some schools beginning in November.
In addition to educating children and teens on how to protect themselves and how to report suspicious activity, the videos address some of the legal issues involved in online activities that can get them in trouble with the law.
"R U Safe?" is available for viewing and downloading through a link on the HBA site, www.hba.org, and at www.tyla.org.