Internet Safety Class Comes To Middle School

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(Sound of bell and hallway)

(Host) That sound signifies the end of the school day at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon.  

At schools across Vermont – that’s the time when students flip open their cell phones to check emails and text friends.   

Because cell phone use and technology in general has become such a big part of teenagers’ lives – many schools are educating students early on how to use it more safely.  

VPR’s Nina Keck has more.

(Keck) We all know cell phone use is increasing.   But did you know that 31 percent of 8- to 10-year-olds own a cell phone?  The number jumps to over 69 percent when you talk about 11- to 14-year-olds.  And you don’t even want to think about all the webcams out there.   

Because so many young Vermonters are texting, Tweeting, Facebooking, gaming, and even sexting – that’s sending sexually explicit messages or photos with their phones –  many schools are starting even earlier with lessons on internet safety.

(Kretz) "Many fourth graders are on Facebook and social networking sites."

(Keck) That’s Kathy Kretz. She’s a technology safety trainer for Prevent Child Abuse Vermont.

(Kretz) "They’re using the technology.  If they don’t have it they’re older sister or brother does so they’re exposed to it definitely exposed to it."  

(Keck)  Kretz and fellow trainer Erin McKenny have talked to thousands of 4th through 8th graders about how prevent cyber bullying and use technology more safely.

(Kretz) "So what kind of technology are you using? Anybody?"

(Students, Kretz) "Computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads. Alright."

(Keck) On a recent afternoon at Otter Valley Union, Kretz reminded middle school students not to use the same password for everything – to only become on line friends with people they know face to face, to never post personal information on line, to remember that anything posted on line is there forever, for anyone to see.

And oh yes,  keep passwords private. Erin McKenney says students often forget that.

(McKenney) "And they’re esp giving their passwords out to their best friend.  Thinking that you know they’re my best friend and that’s okay.   And then that best friend has their password and they’re able to get into their account and delete it or bully someone by proxy or post really embarrassing things under that person’s account.  So they’re not really thinking it through that this person who has their password can potentially do a lot of damage with it."

(Keck) McKenney and Kretz say the biggest threat to kids from technology is cyber bullying, which can mean one child sending another child nasty or threatening emails or text messages. . .  or someone posting humiliating photos or information on a public website.    

With several well publicized cases of teens committing suicide because they were cyber bullied, Kathy Kretz say it’s important for kids to understand the seriousness of the problem.   

But she says it’s even more important to remind students to speak up if they themselves or someone they know is being targeted.

(Kretz) "I think communication is a really big part – not just for parents to communicate with their child but with the child to talk communicate with their parent and to have an open dialog, talk about what they do on line."

(Keck) If kids get comfortable talking to their parents about the day to day stuff they do on line, Kretz says they’ll be even more likely to talk to their parents when a problem  comes up.  

For VPR news, I’m Nina Keck in Brandon.

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