Written by Cory Cooper, assistant principal, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School

Cellphones are ubiquitous and children seem to keep getting them at a younger age. While there is no denying that cellphones can bring convenience and peace of mind when used as a way for a parent to safely check in on their child, or when children need a ride or forget something important on field trip day; it is also true that cellphones in the hands of children and teenagers come with a host of potential issues.

In my three years as a school administrator, I’ve been educated on these issues by the FBI, local and State Police agencies, lawyers, other school personnel, outside presenters and most importantly by the students who attend my school.  The dangers of technology are something these groups typically speak about in their presentations, particularly regarding cell phones and social media. Before cellphones, parents could more easily monitor who was part of their child’s life and what their children were involved in.  The evolution of technology has made it more difficult for parents to stay in the loop and help their children protect their personal information and keep it from getting into the wrong hands. There are several reasons for that: sharing information is extremely easy; not all parents are tech savvy, so it can be fairly easy for some children to get around any safeguards that their parents have put in place; and the appearance of popular social media apps that are intended to hide communications, such as Snapchat.

Indeed, parents now have to worry about online sexual predators who can track their children’s location, students who cyberbully or harass other students, access to vulgar content, inappropriate conversations with strangers, and the possibility of identity theft.

Certain issues such as cyberbullying, harassment online and sexting tend to be brought to school, in which case it can greatly disrupt the learning environment of all involved. Schools are required by law to maintain a safe and undisrupted learning environment and many are finding that their teachers and administrators are spending a great deal of time managing disruptions from cell phones and severe social media issues that walk in the doors every day. As a result, many schools have instituted cellphone policies and students who violate them can get their phones confiscated and lose the right to bring it back to school. If the violation is serious the school or individual being harassed will contact the police.

Although it can be difficult, even for the most involved parents, to supervise their child’s online presence at all times, there are resources and tools that can make this easier. There are apps and software that can help monitor the content of messages and social media posts. Some devices, internet service providers, and software offer the ability to restrict the type of content accessed and even set time limits, but none of these are completely foolproof.  What is most important is to have conversations with children early on about digital citizenship, set age-appropriate rules so that they know not to give away their personal information, show them how to recognize bullying and harassment and how to report it, and teach them how to keep a positive online presence.

The following resources will help you get the conversation started:

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/

http://www.pacer.org/publications/bullypdf/BP-27.pdf

https://elearningindustry.com/the-teacher-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/11/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-children-advice

http://puresight.com/Pedophiles/Online-Predators/online-predators-what-can-you-do-to-protect-your-kids.html

Please remember that information posted and shared online stays online forever.  Bad online behavior can come back to haunt students and cost them opportunities. Prospective schools and employers often check an individual’s online presence before making a decision on them, as several would-be Harvard students recently found out.

Pictured: Cory Cooper

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.