Parents Come Together For First Digital Media Summit in New Rochelle

by Alicia Simeone and Megan McCarthy

Parents gathered at New Rochelle High School for a Digital Media Summit on Oct. 23 to discuss the risks and benefits of children’s online activity with the help of various professional views.

The new age of technology has grown to the point where parents are uninformed about all the social media outlets children use. According to a 2013 study by McAffee, 80 percent of parents said they would not be able to find out what their children are doing online, and 46 percent of children said they would change their behavior if their parents were paying attention.

City School District of New Rochelle Director of Technology Christine Coleman spoke first, about parents’ knowing what children are actually doing with their time on the internet. She warned about how many social media outlets there are, and how fast it takes for something to be all over the web.

“The social landscape is huge,” Coleman said. “With the touch of a finger, it only takes 60 seconds for a picture to go viral.”

She informed parents about the proper way to approach their child about their use of social media. She stressed a “how can I guide you” approach, rather than an “I gotcha” approach. It is important to not attack the child, and instead let him/her know there is help when needed.

Parents were able to ask questions anonymously to be addressed by a panel of experts. The questions were written down on a piece of paper and collected to be given to the panel, which included Coleman; featured speaker Dr. Jeff Gardere, “America’s Psychologist”; Nancy Friedman, co-founder of KidzVuz; Lauren Barry of SADD; and Mike Gilliam, anchor of FIOS1 news, who moderated.

Many parents were concerned about the negative side of social media and the internet, expressing concerns about cyberbullying and strangers. Giving them a fact-check, Friedman said that the incidence teen suicides, child abductions, and sexual assault are flatlined, and have not increased because of the internet.

Barry, a junior and executive board member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, and Friedman focused on the benefits of the internet and social media. The internet is not all bad, they emphasized—and is a way for people to connect and communicate.

“Teach the child to navigate properly instead of using parental control,” said Friedman. “Knowing what’s going on in social media is knowing our kids.”

In the end, the panelists spoke of the importance for children to be aware of what they post because once it is out there on the internet, it does not go away.

After the presentation, on New Rochelle attendee said she thought the presentation had been intense.

“I thought it was powerful,” said Lygia Campbell. “The potential for being a viral post is scary.”

Read the entire McAfee Digital Deception Study 2013.