Last year my daughter’s school had an issue with bullying on the Internet and Social Media. The principal at her school immediately hired Paul Davis, an expert on cyber security and safety, to speak with the kids and parents on the subject.
Paul is frequently asked to speak to police organizations and the military but most of the time he speaks to schools. Typically, when Paul speaks to schools he presents one speech to the children during the day and another to the parents in the evening.
I can tell you from experience, most parents, myself included, do not have a clue about the risks associated with social media and / or internet security. For example, did you know there is a minimum age for opening a Gmail, Instagram, Hotmail and Facebook account? Given that kids in grade four, five, and six, already have accounts on such sites, it seems that most parents are in the same boat as myself.
Then there’s the scenes that play out everyday…..someone posts on Facebook, “seven days to Disney”, then six, then five, etc. The next thing you know they are posting pictures of their epic holiday, and when they get back to their house, they can’t figure out how someone knew they weren’t home and broke into their house.
And that’s not nearly as bad as the people who don’t realize how posting a general, everyday, photo could provide detailed information that will allow a predator to identify a child’s name, school and more within seconds. Davis explains this to parents by stating predators don’t need to be talented to retrieve this information and that people are not always who they claim to be.
Social media can be a really useful tool for adults and children when we create rules and boundaries. During Davis’ presentations he suggests different rules for children and adults for safe Internet usage, so it’s important that both the kids and the parent’s attend the event.
Paul is in high demand and he is booking presentations well into 2017. Whether for a school or a community group I highly recommend Paul Davis to anyone who cares about the safety of themselves and their children.
Paul Davis Social Networking Safety
1-866-259-0996
www.socialnetworkingsafety.net
