By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
More than a hundred parents and guardians have attended a presentation on children\u2019s cyber safety, and it\u2019s hoped more sessions can be held in the future.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Bacchus Marsh Blue Light and presented by Martin and Carley McGauran from Inform & Empower, the \u2018Raising Kids in a Digital World\u2019 presentation was held on 22 March with the goal of opening adults\u2019 eyes to the world of social media and apps used by their kids.<\/p>\n
Moorabool Youth Officer Leading Senior Constable Jim Ross said the event proved to be a real eye-opener for many attendees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a really good turnout, with about 150 people. A lot said \u2018thank you, this information was incredible\u2019. A lot said they didn\u2019t know there were so many possibilities for young people on social media. The feedback was all positive, people said they\u2019d recommend others to go,\u201d LSC Ross told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all walked away with new knowledge, and a better understand of, I suppose, the potential dangers of social media in a young person\u2019s hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the prevalence of social media and apps like TikTok, LSC Ross said it\u2019s more important than ever that parents and guardians are aware what their kids are up to online.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the information session, you could see the expressions on people\u2019s faces to some of the information being relayed, not all shocking or confrontational, but just what does go on on social media,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like why these apps prefer people to be over the age of 13, for recording data and that sort of thing. We hope to run future sessions, there was every indication from people that they would attend or tell their friends to. It\u2019s just a matter of finance, that\u2019s the big thing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely awesome that Bacchus Marsh Blue Light was able to fund this initial session, but that\u2019s not something they could possibly fund every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of the night, LSC Ross\u2019 message was that while schools and police can support parents, they were not \u201cthe firewall\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s parents that are the firewall. They really need to engage with their kids, as the presentation suggested, it\u2019s like teaching their kid how to ride a bike. They don\u2019t just push them off into the road and say \u2018keep your balance\u2019\u2026they nurture them into those kinds of things. Social media is another one of those things parents need to get involved with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents are sometimes under the impression their kids are safe because they\u2019re in their bedroom on their laptop or phone. They\u2019ll go out to a playground to supervise their kids, but let them into the cyber world alone\u2026but that can be just as dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis More than a hundred parents and guardians have attended a presentation on children\u2019s cyber safety, and it\u2019s hoped more sessions can be held in the future. Hosted by Bacchus Marsh Blue Light and presented by Martin and Carley McGauran from Inform & Empower, the \u2018Raising Kids in a Digital World\u2019 presentation was […]<\/p>\n