Springfield – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today encouraged Illinois families to visit his tent at the 2023 Illinois State Fair.
Raoul’s tent offers many free resources focused on the office’s ongoing work to enhance public safety throughout Illinois. The tent includes a display about children’s physical and emotional safety on social media platforms, a photo station with an interactive quiz on internet safety concepts, and information on protecting children from online predators.
“As families enjoy the Illinois State Fair, I encourage them to visit the Attorney General’s tent to learn about the important services my office provides and how we work to protect residents throughout the year,” Raoul said. “One of my priorities is youth mental health online, so my staff will provide information about kids’ physical and emotional safety on social media. I want to hear from youth, parents, school counselors and mental health professionals about their social media experiences and how those experiences have impacted their lives, so we know how to fix problems they might be experiencing.”
Raoul will debut new resources in the tent, such as a website and email address for the public to share information about their social media experiences. Fairgoers can access these resources via a quick response (QR) code on the social media display. Respondents may be contacted by the Attorney General’s office for more details and information. Raoul explained he wants to hear directly from people about any experiences on social media, including any problems due to excessive social media use and how social media users interact with the platforms. This initiative and Raoul’s leadership in nationwide investigations into social media platforms are the latest in Raoul’s work to ensure social media companies make their platforms safer for young users and address known and ongoing harms.
Characters Browser and Buddy will return to the Attorney General’s tent as members of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. They will help children learn about staying safe online. Families that visit the Attorney General’s tent will receive Buddy and Browser’s new coloring book, which is an interactive tool to help children develop healthy online habits as they work their way through the book of tips. Additional resources for families and educators are available on the Attorney General’s OnlineSafeOnlineSmart website.
Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 175 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 32,500 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 485 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 1,960 arrests of sexual predators. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to more than 1 million parents, teachers and students, in addition to more than 23,850 law enforcement professionals.
Attorney General Raoul’s tent also offers information about other programs and services the office provides, such as those that offer help to victims of fraud and deception, and those supporting victims of violent crime.
Attorney General Raoul’s tent is located on Grandstand Avenue, and the office will also have an exhibit in the Illinois Building to provide information designed to help seniors recognize and avoid scams.
Please visit the Attorney General’s website for more information about the Attorney General’s office, sharing social media experiences, resources from the ICAC or information about consumer fraud.
