Free online safety talk in Vaughan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for teens, parents

YorkRegion.com
April 2, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Are you concerned about the sorts of things your children are posting on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or whom they might be communicating with online? Then you’ll probably want to drop by Al Palladini Community Centre Sunday afternoon.

Tony Carella, councillor for Woodbridge West, is hosting a free presentation on social networking safety for parents and students, featuring social media expert Paul Davis.  

“I think anybody who reads newspapers knows that social media is problematic for some kids. There’s just all sorts of issues that are of concern to parents,” Mr. Carella said. “I figured this guy is an expert, let’s put him in a room with parents who are concerned about this to learn what they can from him. He’s done a lot of presentations in the GTA and he’s very well respected.”

The presentation will cover a wide range of topics, including various social media platforms and how kids are using them, “digital trails”, cyber bullying as well as simple steps parents can take to keep their children safe.   

“My presentation to them is a call to parenting,” Mr. Davis said. “At the beginning, it’s a real eye-opener (for parents). And the reason it’s an eye-opener is because most of them don’t have any understanding of just how deep their kids are when it comes to using apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine and Snapchat. And, in most cases, this is the baffling part, most of (their kids) are not (old enough) to have it.”

A longtime Maple resident and father of two daughters, Mr. Davis worked in the information technology sector for 25 years.

Now he makes presentations at schools virtually every day of the week and is regularly interviewed by media outlets about how to keep children safe online.

Mr. Davis said there are a few key messages he hopes people get out of his presentation.

“I want parents to walk away understanding that they are still a parent, they have an obligation to protect their child while they’re on line, no one else can do it,” he said. “They should have rules and they should respect the rules that are given, for example, by Facebook, (you have to be) 13, Instagram (you have to be) 13, on and on and on. And one of the things that most parents make a mistake in doing is they allow the technology in their child’s bedroom. Every police officer you speak to says, ‘No technology in the child’s bedroom.’”

Attend the talk Sunday, April 6 at Al Palladini C.C., 9201 Islington Ave., from 3 to 5 p.m.