Updated
Updated · WSET · Jul 31
Virginia Launches Annual August 1 Internet Safety Day After HJR 36 Passage
Updated
Updated · WSET · Jul 31

Virginia Launches Annual August 1 Internet Safety Day After HJR 36 Passage

3 articles · Updated · WSET · Jul 31

Summary

  • August 1 will mark Virginia’s first official Internet Safety and Online Predator Awareness Day, created after House Joint Resolution 36 passed in the 2026 General Assembly.
  • July 31 brings a kickoff press conference at Bedford Hills Elementary School, where Delegate Wendell Walker, the Safe Surfin' Foundation, educators and law enforcement plan to spotlight prevention through public awareness.
  • Online predators, cyberbullying, identity theft, scams and digital exploitation are driving the observance, which organizers say is aimed at children, families and older adults as threats keep evolving.
  • Founded in 1998, the Safe Surfin' Foundation says the annual day builds on years of work with Virginia’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and other partners to expand internet-safety education statewide.

Insights

With 21 million annual reports, can Virginia's new awareness day actually stop digital predators, or is it just symbolic?
Predators are exploiting gaming platforms to target minors; what hidden digital dangers might your child be facing right now?