When it comes to protecting children from cyberbullying or computer crimes, the best thing we can do is educate them about the dangers online.
As technology continues to permeate every aspect of our lives, it's becoming more and more difficult to keep even elementary-school age children protected. Recently, Master Deputy Jeremy Holland, a school resource officer for the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, met with Ebb Valley Elementary School fourth-graders to talk about protecting themselves and their identity online, whom they should steer clear of and to let them know the Internet can be used for negative purposes.
In the particular class we covered, nearly every fourth-grader's hand went up when asked if they had a tablet or iPad. And we suspect that Santa Claus may have brought a new device to more than a few Carroll children last week. It isn't surprising either, especially since Carroll County Public Schools rolled out its Bring Your Own Device program for elementary-schoolers last year.
"The kids today have an opportunity to use so many devices, so knowing how to protect their identity is critical," said Dolly Mersinger, a fourth-grade teacher at Ebb Valley who organized the presentations.
While the school presentations are a great idea — and something we think should be taught at every school in the beginning of each school year, especially with the BYOD program in place at every school in Carroll now — it's imperative that parents be pushing the same message to students at home.
Talking with kids about being safe online isn't much different than talking to them about being safe walking home from school or at the mall. Common sense should apply.
Don't talk to strangers; only communicate with those you already know.
Turn off geolocations when using apps on devices and avoid checking in to places on Facebook. If someone has bad intentions, you don't want them to know where you are at all times.
Keep personal information personal. Home addresses, phone numbers and birthdays can be used by hackers to steal your identity and hack accounts.
Set privacy settings. Don't allow children's profiles on social media sites to be viewed publicly, that way, if they accidentally share something they shouldn't, it's only viewed by a select number of people whom they already know.
And of course, discussions about cyberbullying need to occur. Legislation passed in 2013 — Grace's Law, named after a Howard County teen who committed suicide after being cyberbullied — made cyberbullying of a minor illegal in Maryland. Oftentimes, however, the harassment goes unreported. Parents need to let their children know it's OK to tell an adult if they are being cyberbullied.
Parents should also re-emphasize an important point Deputy Holland spoke about in his presentation: Don't be a bystander. Children need to know that if they see cyberbullying taking place online, they need to report it to an adult, even if they aren't the one being harassed.
Technology isn't going away, and more youths are online than ever before. Before outfitting children with these devices, make sure you talk with them about the rules and the risks of being online, and keep that dialogue going to reinforce those ideas.
