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Local students in grades six through twelve are learning more about internet safety this week.
Special Agent Todd Wilton of Homeland Security is making his way to area schools informing students and parents of precautions they can take while using the web.
“It’s unreal the number of predators that are out there that target our kids,” said Homeland Security Agent Todd Wilton, who’s educating parents and students about many of the inherent dangers of the cyber world.
Wilton said, “Our kids are no less vulnerable up here in the Upper Peninsula, especially up where with the long winters, kids tend to have a little bit more screen time. Hence, that much more opportunity for the predators to find them and things to happen so I strongly suggest parents keep any eye on what kids are doing. So don’t just give them a device and let them have free reign.”
Wilton spoke during school in Houghton yesterday with two student discussions and a more in depth third in the evening with their parents, who filled nearly every seat. He made reference to many local and UP cases involving online predators and steps parents can take to improve their children’s internet safety.
“The biggest thing I would recommend to all parents is I would definitely invest in parental monitoring software. A couple other pointers, I highly recommend not allow your kids to have their devices in their bedrooms or after everyone goes to sleep. Spend five minutes once, twice, three times a week, go through your kids phone, find an app and you’re not familiar with it, Google it, if there is something that they shouldn’t be on, usually there will be something on Google that says ten most dangerous apps that parents should know about or something along those lines and that’s obviously a clear indicator that your kids should probably not be on that app,” said Wilton.
Wilton is speaking to students in Chassell Wednesday and on the Campus of Michigan Tech at 1pm, with another presentation scheduled for Thursday at 6:30pm at Jeffers High School.
