Yesterday I received an email from my son’s elementary school principal informing parents that the school had an online safety presentation for their fourth and fifth grade students.  When asked how many of the students had spoken to someone whom they knew was a stranger online, about half of the children raised their hands.

WOW! That is scary!

As parents, we have been instilling the life lesson of “Stranger Danger” in our children from the time they were toddlers.  “Don’t speak to a stranger,” “Never get in a car with someone you don’t know,” and other important rules we implore our children follow to keep them safe.

Yet, HALF of these nine to eleven year olds admitted to talking to a stranger online. Mrs. Smith, Principal at Angelo L. Tomaso School in Warren, New Jersey urged parents to help by stating, “We need to work together to remain informed, diligent, and ahead of the game to guide our kids through their world of social media.”

Another abuse of social media is Cyber bullying. I’m curious as to how many of those fourth and fifth grade students would have raised their hands to indicate if they have been bullied online – or how many Middle and High Schoolers?

Our First Lady has pledged to work toward putting an end to bullying on social media. Mrs. Trump states, “We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other.”  (usatoday.com).  As parents, it is our job to teach our children this better way.

Keeping our children safe is paramount, both on and off-line. We need to help our children navigate technology, which includes video games, social media, and online chat rooms, in a way that will help, not hurt.

Below we have listed several ways to talk to your child about online safety. It’s never too early to discuss these strategies with your child. Openly talking with your child on a regular basis is key to keeping your child safe.

Discussion Topics for Online Safety:

• Make the real World /Cyber World Connection: Instruct your children that if it’s not permitted in the “real world” it should not be done in the “Cyber World” i.e.: sharing personal information, making fun of someone, showing inappropriate photos of self or someone else.
• Protect your Privacy: Never share your personal information online, including age, address, phone number, birthday.Allow your child to understand that he/she must tell you if someone is asking for this information online.
• Know When to Let Go: Let your child know that if he/she is uncomfortable with anything presented online, it is encouraged to immediately leave that site and inform a parent or teacher.
• Be Approachable: It is extremely important that your child understand that you are there to support and help him/her with any and all online issues. Allow your child to feel comfortable and secure when telling you details of online play.
• Online Play to Stay: Create a list of rules with your child to help him stay safe online. Include sites and topics that are “green light” – can be used without adult guidance, “yellow light” – an adult needs to be present/an adult needs to be called to review and “red light” – sites and topics that are not to be viewed or discussed.

Online safety and Cyber bullying are topics discussed during our Hero Assembly. For more information about our program, please email leighann@wearthecapekids.com