Parish Youth Worker Robyn Hocking reports on a recent Cyber Safety seminar she attended - this is must read information for parents of young children and teens.

Last Sunday I and another Youth Group Parent attended a Cyber Safety Evening hosted by Activate Church. Zareen and Rob Cope, parents of 4 teenagers and producers of the 2020 Documentary ‘Our Kids Online’, were the presenters.

Online predators are rife and over 40% of New Zealand children are engaging with strangers online. Ross Tuttle, founder and CEO of the ‘Stop Trafficking Project’ was quoted as saying “If you don’t invade your child's privacy, I promise you, a predator will.”

Cyberbullying comes in many forms, is often under-reported and has a huge negative impact on our young people. Self-worth ‘selfies’ are also causing huge stress and pain.

Zareen and Rob shared their thoughts on Sex Education and said “If you don’t talk about it, someone else will - with their values and morals, not yours – and that leads to Porn and Predators.”

Is this what we want for our precious young people? Many of us are privileged to be parents, grandparents or caregivers. Everyone cares about the health and happiness of our young people.

I was encouraged by the solutions that were offered, to assist us as we all navigate the complexities of today's digital world.

We were given three Golden Rules - all of them to be surrounded with open communication with your kids. Have conversations and keep having conversations!

• NO devices in bedrooms, ever - have them out in the lounge, where screens can be seen

• ALL devices and technology items need to have a filter on them
• When you go to bed, turn off the Wi-Fi

Rob and Zareen’s documentary “Our Kids Online: Porn, Predators and How to keep them Safe” is a great resource. Click here to access it.

There are many other resources available, including 'Children 2.0' and 'The Social Dilemma'. 'Protect Young Eyes' gives valuable information on apps, parental controls, filters and monitoring apps.

We were offered valuable advice on how to create a ‘family online plan’ to help everyone stay safe and supported in this online world.

Quotable Quotes from the seminar...

"Although I knew of the risks of cyberspace for our young people I found the presentation both confronting and sobering."

"Pornography, scary as it is, has now become hardcore, degrading and violent”.

"Put on Your Parent Pants…..set Healthy Boundaries, now and into the Future!"

"If you don’t talk about it, someone else will - with their values and morals, not yours – and it that leads to Porn and Predators.”