Digital Safety - Starting the Conversation

I am typically the first one in line for a new device. I have always enjoyed having a new toy. I remember when cell phones moved from the bags that looked like a person was toting a comms station around in a war movie to the sleek handheld Nokia phones that fit in a purse or briefcase. Not a pocket phone, but close. From there I made my way through flip phones and handsprings, but none of those devices hold a candle to this generation’s phones or tablets.

Sometimes when in the middle of a conversation with friends wondering about this, that, or the other odd piece of trivia or nonsense, my friend Shelly always remarks, “If only there was a way we could look that up,” reminding us that we are carrying huge stores of information at our fingertips and in our pockets. And these are the same devices our children are using. Everything is at their fingertips.

What we are finding is that tech use is influencing behavior and academics. Each new cool thing has some negative impact mingled in with the positive. It’s really cool to play video games at an interactive level because we can play in our pajamas and still be social. Yet we find that some children get so caught up in the game, they don’t realize how mean they are to the teammates or how much time they are online. Plus, drama is getting extended playtime because it of 24/7 exposure. And parents are struggling to keep up with just the trivial parts of being online.

With all the dangers outlined in the media and the bombardment of disturbing news stories, we wanted to give parents and students access to professionals in the cyber sphere. Last week, we had three presentations on the dangers of social media to grades 4-12 and a separate meeting for parents. These presentations touched on cyber bullying, "sextortion", legal implications, and safety tips.  We’re happy that we were able to help parents start these conversations at home and provide a place to begin the conversation.