As part of Near North District School Board’s on-going commitment to educating students for the future, as a parent or guardian, learning doesn’t stop once you graduate.
Last week, in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, NNDSB hosted an informational session on “Online Risks and Emerging Trends” to educate parents and guardians on developmentally appropriate strategies for parents to engage in conversations with children and youth about online safety. Dozens of families from across the region participated in the event.
During this 60-minute presentation, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) outlined three areas for consideration: content, contact, and conduct. Parents were encouraged to get involved with what their children are doing online. The best approach? Put the child in the driver’s seat and let them be the teacher as they demonstrate their newest game or app. This allows parents to understand what kind of content their child is accessing, and provides the opportunity to ask questions about how the newest platform works. Like all safety practices, such as wearing a seat belt, adults must be providing constant reminders about being safe online.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection outlined how children use the internet to create, post, and share content, which can lead to issues of conduct. Also discussed was how to begin conversations about difficult topics related to child safety online, such as sending or receiving nude pictures, cyberbullying or how to address issues of extortion.
Board Trustee Fry attended the session and provided praise for the amount of information provided to parents and echoed the need for continued communication between parents, educators and students so that every environment, whether in-person or online, are safe spaces for all.
NNDSB would like to extend a sincere thank you to Karyn Kibsey and Samantha Falk from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for their insight, and expertise. Parents are encouraged to visit protectkidsonline.ca for more information.
