Stop Child Predators wins Department of Homeland Security PSA Contest

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign announced the winners of its Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge at an event at the White House today. Stop Child Predators' (SCP) president Stacie Rumenap accepted the organization's award from White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The award is shared with Microsoft and students at Dakota State University.

The winning Stop Child Predators video focuses on ending cyberbullying and harassment among teens and young adults with the message that "words can be hurtful and may have unintended consequences." The video includes images of teens sending derogatory messages via social media outlets, and demonstrates how playground chants have evolved dangerously with technological advances.

"Our organization is thrilled to be honored with this award. We are encouraged to see the impact of our campaign to warn parents and children about the disturbing new trends in online bullying and the force these messages can have in families and schools. It is exciting to know that communities will have this video as a resource to promote safety and respect for all kids online," Rumenap said.

The Stop.Think.Connect. PSA Challenge launched in November 2010 and asked Americans to create and submit video PSAs that encourage people of all ages to be thoughtful and cautious when using the Internet.

Stop.Think.Connect. is a coordinated message created by a coalition of private companies, nonprofits and government organizations. The campaign aims to achieve for online safety awareness what "Smokey Bear" did for forest fire safety and "Click It or Ticket" did for seatbelt safety.

The winning PSAs can be viewed here.

About Stop Child Predators

Stop Child Predators is a national non-profit organization that brings together a team of policy experts, law enforcement officers, community leaders, and parents to persuade state and federal lawmakers to enact policies to combat the sexual exploitation of children, and promote and protect the rights of victims.

About Stop Internet Predators

Stop Internet Predators is a project of Stop Child Predators, launched to educate parents and communities on emerging online child safety issues and empower them to protect their children's privacy and safety. Stop Internet Predators has a special focus on new internet technologies that pose a risk to their children's safety, such as Google's Street View.

SOURCE Stop Child Predators