FBI teaches Plainfield parents about internet safety
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
news@enterprisepublications.com
@PlainfieldNews
It’s a high tech world for today’s school children.
But while phones, tablets and online video gaming are a reality for today’s kids, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation note that parents aren’t always keeping up with the trends.
Last week, the FBI visited Ira Jones and Heritage Grove middle schools in Plainfield School District 202 to educate parents and students about the dangers that may be lurking online. The message – take your child’s online presence seriously.
“As a parent, you aren’t going to let your kids ride their bike down the street without knowing how to stop, to safely cross the street, have on a helmet and whatever else,” special agent August Goodman said. “The internet is as dangerous, unfortunately.”
August said that, when agents have to speak to parents after something bad has happened, many say they simply don’t understand popular apps like Snapchat.
“It’s our burden, as parents, to take 5 minutes and Google, what is this,” she added.
In fact, the FBI regularly relies on search engines like Google as research tools, encouraging parents to do the same when it comes to researching websites, apps or games.
Another important tip for parents, have a non-negotiable rule that passwords aren’t secret.
“You need to know these things, because if something happens and you have your child’s phone, we need to see those passwords to get into the account to see what happened,” task force officer Jacki Lazzara said. “Check it and see what’s going on in their lives.”
The key, according to the FBI, is to teach kids that dangers exist on the internet, without trying to scare them.
“Obviously a lot of what we do in our everyday life involves the internet,” Lazzara said, adding that parents should explain the risks and benefits of the internet. “It’s using it wisely. It’s having the knowledge, giving your children the knowledge to know what’s wrong and what’s right, what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate.”
She stressed that children need to know they won’t be in trouble if someone reaches out to them and asks them to do something inappropriate.
Additionally, parents should familiarize themselves with popular apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, Kik, Twitter and Facebook. Parents also need to remember that many video gaming systems can go out live over the internet, allowing children to play with strangers from all over the world.
“Those are ways that predators can get into your house,” Lazzara said. “If they’re on the game, and they have headphones on, that predator is in your house.”
The agents said that, in addition to educating themselves, parents need to set and enforce boundaries.
“Make a rule,” Lazzara said. “At 8 or 9 o’clock, all the phones go in a room. No excuses. It needs to all be placed in a common area.”
Lazzara also said to teach children how to limit their presence online by limiting what they share when they use a camera. The agents said that making sure that children aren’t wearing any clothing with the name of their school on it or having identifiable objects in the background, like a window or family photos, can help keep their identity and location private.
When it comes to victimization, there is no “type” of child who predators target.
“They can be in band, they can have no friends, they can have lots of friends,” Lazzara said. “This happens to every child of every sort. This is not just one [type of] child that these people go after.
And according to local police, it’s already present in Plainfield.
“These things are happening around here,” said school resource officer Steve Shervino, who hosts social media informational classes for fifth graders. “Maybe not as severe as some of the things [the FBI sees]. When we ask, how many have been contacted by someone who they don’t know or asked inappropriate stuff, I would [estimate] that between 30 and 40 percent of kids raise their hands.
“So, this stuff is going on,” he added. “I’m not going to tell you how to parent, but these are different times.”
Shervino said he encourages an open dialogue between parents and their children about social media because, even if a site is banned in one home, chances are a student can still get access to it through a friend’s device.
The agents said that it is never too early to talk to children about the dangers of the internet, and to keep a lookout for anything that seems off. If something seems off, call the police.
“There are definitely some crazy people out there,” Lazzara said.