OnLine Safety for your children

Online Safety

By: Stacey Posey: School Resource Officer

Sentinel Guest Writer

Parents, do you regularly check who your child’s friends are on social network sites?  Recently, some of our middle and high schools girls received a friend request from “a guy” who says he is about their age but lives in another state.  Several of our girls accepted the request because they saw other girls from our school on his friends list.  The intentions of our girls were completely innocent; however the “guy’s” intentions were not.  When this “guy” would see one of these girls online he would send them a chat message asking them to go to another chat site.  If the girls refused to go, he would ask if anyone could see their computer screen or he would send them a message with an internet link.  When the girls connected to the link, they were immediately faced with pornographic pictures or images you do not want your child to see.  Unfortunately this is how predators reach our children.

Whenever I speak to the students of our school, one of the topics I always cover is” knowing who your friends are online.”  The tip I ask them to follow is to know at least two personal things about the person before accepting their friend request.  If they cannot name two then they really do not know the person and should not be friends with them.  You never know what the intentions are of the other person.  It is not an issue of not trusting your child but not trusting who or what the other person represents.

I encourage you to speak with your child (male or female) about online safety.  Go through their friends list with them and if you or your child cannot think of two personal details of that person, delete them from the list.  This is a way of protecting your child from online solicitation.  If you have any questions concerning online safety or social networks, contact me through the Sheriff’s Office at 828-389-6354.