Parents Must Manage Online Learning To Reduce Kids' Risk

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — As students spend more time online engaged in virtual classes and coursework, the FBI warns parents to keep close tabs on their kids and monitor their activity in order to keep them safe. Maneka Monk, spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, explained that digital citizenship is part of students' school counseling curriculum for secondary students. The district also relies on the "Think. Pause. Post." campaign to provide families with online safety awareness information.

"At the beginning of each school year, we focus on this campaign and posters can be found at schools. As we embark into more online engagement for students, we seek to not only protect our students in a secure learning environment, but also nurture and reinforce positive digital citizenship. Other resources for parents can be found under the 'services' or 'families' tabs at www.aacps.org," Monk told Patch.

Sgt. Amy Miguez, spokesperson for the Annapolis Police Department, said there really isn't any general online safety advice to follow because there are so many different types of devices, each with its own particular set of risks.

"There is everything from network-connected 'nanny cams' that can be hacked to smart phones, watches, tablets, netbooks, etc. that can give your child unrestricted access to any content on the web. Many devices have restrictions that can be put in place to automatically filter some inappropriate content, but these are not fail-safes. Other devices may have the ability for parents to approve access to apps and sites on case-by-case basis. Apps themselves may have filters to show only age appropriate content. There are also ways to filter content through your internet connection to any devices your child uses. Parents need to educate themselves about the options out there and make sure that they have proper restrictions in place," Miguez told Patch.

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Two resources to help parents and kids provided by the Annapolis Police Department are https://www.cisa.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-parent-and-educator-resources and https://www.netsmartzkids.org/.

Marc Limansky, spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, noted that parents need to carefully monitor children's online activity, especially those who are new to navigating the online environment.

"Parents should ensure younger children are focusing on their distance learning tasks and not becoming distracted by the allure of the web. Some tips include speaking with children about internet safety, to include a reminder to never provide personal identifying information to anyone. Ensure strong privacy anti-virus policies are in place and consider placing the child's workstation in a common area of the house. Contact your internet provider to learn about restricting access certain websites from your home network. The most important step is to maintain an open dialog about safety online with your children. If a parent becomes aware of any suspicious activity, they should contact local police immediately," Limansky told Patch.

The FBI also recommends that parents take the following measures to educate and prevent children from becoming a victim of predators and exploitation:

• Discuss internet safety with children of all ages when they engage in online activity.
• Review and approve games and apps before they are downloaded.
• Make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and electronic devices.
• Monitor your children's use of the internet; keep electronic devices in an open, common room of the house.
• Check your children's profiles and what they post online.
• Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the internet.
• Make sure children know that anyone who asks a child to engage in sexually explicit activity online should be reported to a parent, guardian or other trusted adult and law enforcement.
• Remember that victims should not be afraid to tell law enforcement if they are being sexually exploited. It is not a crime for a child to send sexually explicit images to someone if they are compelled or coerced to do so.

Visit here for more information from the FBI about protecting your kids.

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