Online predators are lurking, so Chatham-Kent police want parents and guardians to know how best to protect children in their care.
The Chatham-Kent Public Library (CKPL) will be hosting an online safety presentation at the Thamesville Branch on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Special Constable Brenda Koldyk will speak about current online issues including sexual predators, trafficking, and luring.
"We really encourage the parents to be involved," Koldyk said. "They think that they know what their kids are doing, but we know 70 per cent [of kids] hide what they're doing from their parents."
She added that since this generation is so tech-savvy they tend to put themselves at risk, sometimes unknowingly.
"Look at Xbox Live," Koldyk pointed out. "[Kids] are communicating with total strangers."
Social media is another example. Kids can easily work around age restrictions on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat by simply saying they're older than 13. "I think they're getting better," Koldyk said of the social media platforms. "And people are reporting more, but the risks are still there."
Sextortion and grooming are very real threats that can affect someone long after the initial incident. Koldyk touches on how to avoid those situations and offers advice on how parents and guardians should respond if their child does get caught up in circumstances beyond their control.
Koldyk's presentation also covers identifying predators, what information predators look for, and social networking. She also shows parents step-by-step how to use privacy settings.
"A lot of times people don't realize that these settings are there," Koldyk stated adding that on many platforms the safety features are automatically off and must be turned on.
"If you look at Facebook, every time they did an update it would wipe out your privacy settings," Koldyk explained. "So if you had it on 'friends only' it would open it back up to 'public'."
A lot of the information Koldyk provides is useful for adults as well. "Even adults don't know that you need to log out of whatever app they're using," she said.
"They just swipe up and it's gone, but it's still open and running in the background. So, if there's any tracking happening - where you're going, what you're visiting - you've left it open," Koldyk added.
Geo-tagging and mapping are another issue she touches on.
"A lot of people don't realize that if you hover over a picture the location comes up. Longitude and Lattitude," she explained. "So, if you're in your bedroom taking a picture it gives out the exact location of your house."
Koldyk also wants parents to remember that kids can sometimes get sucked into a mob mentality and therefore do things such as dangerous Tiktok challenges. "Be aware of what your kids are posting," she said.
The best way to know what kids are doing is to keep the lines of communication open. "Kids make mistakes," she said "Let them know you love them regardless and just be there. Remember that if you're not communicating with your child, someone else will and it may not be the ideal person."
No registration for the presentation is required, but attendance is limited to people who are 12 years or older.
