Community makes online safety a priority

The safety of our children online and on social media is something we all acknowledge is a concern, but on a day-to-day basis, it’s a concern that can sometimes fade into the background.

That’s not because we don’t want to be vigilant, but because youth today have so much access to the world beyond our front yards. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that tracks habits and offers advice, found in 2018 that teens spent an average of nine hours a day online, and kids aged 8-12 spent about six hours a day online.

That was before a worldwide pandemic brought us remote learning.

It’s hard to watch your child every minute of the day, especially as they get older and their boundaries start to expand.

It’s especially hard to watch their every movement online.

That’s why we want to thank the organizers and participants of an event Friday that highlighted the dangers children face online, and tools parents can use to help protect them.

The Butler County Community Resource Council organized a free Zoom meeting, with local members of law enforcement as speakers. This included Poplar Bluff police forensic examiner Danny Hicks and Butler County Prosecutor Kacey Proctor.

Hicks and Proctor highlighted not only what caregivers can do to protect children, but also the very scary and very real threat of online predators in our own communities.

This isn’t a big city problem or something that only happens in other places.

It is in our backyard, and we do need to be vigilant.

If you missed the Zoom meeting, there are other resources available.

Common Sense Media, commonsensemedia.org, offers education on everything from how to talk to teens about dealing with online predators to the Parents Ultimate Guide to TikTok.

Here’s a piece of advice they give, that even adults struggle to remember, “It’s hard (and great) for your kid to practice setting boundaries. And while it’s nice to be polite if someone knows you in real life, you don’t have to be nice if they aren’t respecting your limits. It’s better to block than to be nice and better to be safe than to be sweet.”

— The Daily American Republic