A Department of Justice internet safety forum entitled “Innocence Stolen: Protecting Our Children Online” will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Oklahoma Road Middle School in Eldersburg. The forum is open to the public, but is limited to adults only due to the sensitivity of the topics to be discussed, according to a news release from the school system.
The program is open to all parents or guardians in the county and no registration is required.
The Innocence Stolen program is offered to school staff, parents, and community organizations to equip and empower them to address the many teachable moments that occur when accessing the internet, according to the release.
Vincent DeVivo, the community outreach specialist for the United States Attorney's Office District of Maryland, will give a 90-minute presentation reviewing the entire range of threats students face when they go online, like the dark web, texting, internet predators and more.
DeVivo said he will be reviewing an array of threats kids face when they go online, and also talking with parents about the types of filters and controls that exist. It’s important parents are aware of threats online and how to try to prevent them, he said.
And, he added, it’s wise to have conversations with kids about how to be safe online, because they’re their own first line of defense. The whole purpose of the forum is to equip and empower adults to feel comfortable to have these conversations with their kids, DeVivo said.
“We need to be more critical consumers,” he said, and this program is a step in that direction.
Michele Rogers is a parent of a child at Oklahoma Road Middle School and helped to bring the event to Carroll County Public Schools. There are a few things that really scare parents, she said. Two of the big ones are drug use and kids online.
The Eldersburg resident said she has wanted DeVivo to give his presentation to a Carroll County public school for a while now.
“There are a lot of things parents aren’t aware of,” she said of the internet and social networks.
Some parents feel like they’re several steps behind their children in technology, she added. It’s important parents are informed so they can help and educate their children before there’s a crisis, she said.
“I feel like a lot of parents are not aware and are becoming aware at too late of a time of online sites that our kids are going to,” Rogers said.
They’re finding their children are talking to strangers on social media sites, she said, and “that’s scary.”
In order to be the best parent she can, Rogers said she needs to have as much information as possible to help children avoid bad situations.
“We need to be vigilant for our kids,” she added.
If you go
What: Innocence Stolen: Protecting Our Children Online
Where: Oklahoma Road Middle School, 6300 Oklahoma Road, Eldersburg
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Details: The program is a Department of Justice internet safety forum that will discuss topics like the dark web, texting, internet predators and more.
©2017 the Carroll County Times (Westminster, Md.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
