Staying Safe from Internet Predators
Middle School students got a valuable lesson in Internet safety from Jeffco policeman Mike Harris this week. At assemblies for the 5/6 and 7/8 pods, he started by asking students whether any had received a random text from someone they don't know. Hands went up all over the room.
Middle School students got a valuable lesson in Internet safety from Jeffco policeman Mike Harris this week. At assemblies for the 5/6 and 7/8 pods, he started by asking students whether any had received a random text from someone they don't know. Hands went up all over the room.
Mike went on to describe how random texting is one way "bad guys" fish for vulnerable children or teens. "Most adults will just ignore a message from someone they don't know," he says. "But kids are curious. They’re more likely to engage in a conversation with a stranger."
Mike went on to describe how random texting is one way "bad guys" fish for vulnerable children or teens. "Most adults will just ignore a message from someone they don't know," he says. "But kids are curious. They’re more likely to engage in a conversation with a stranger."
That curiosity and general naiveté can get students into more than a little trouble if they become the victim of an Internet predator. Chasing down these “creepers” is the job of Mike and a team of law enforcement officers who employ a little trickery of their own for the greater good.
Going undercover online using child personas, Mike keeps an eye out for suspicious people who try to “friend” the young girls and boys he portrays. Most often, the bad guys are also portraying someone much younger. "There's no way to tell from an online conversation if the person is really who they say they are," Mike warns.
Mike’s goal is to identify predators and arrest them in sting operations before they can meet up with real children, and his team is responsible for the arrests of more than 600 criminals (Internet luring of a child is a felony offense). His other goal is "to keep kids from talking to anyone other than friends," he says. "Sometimes, in the comfort and safety of their homes, it's easy to forget common sense."
Throughout the presentation, Mike reiterated his number one rule several times: Only communicate with people you know face to face. He also strongly advises students to never give out their real name, location, age, school name, phone number, pictures or information about sports and hobbies. "Giving away your personal information is like leaving the door to your home open for a stranger," he says, before demonstrating how a predator can narrow in on a child’s location with just a few pieces of information.
In one example, Mike described a “teenager” who initiated an online conversation by asking seemingly innocent questions to gain the trust of his 13-year-old victim. The two agreed to meet at a fast food restaurant near the child's school. In this case, the victim was in reality a police officer and the 54-year-old man was arrested. Cases involving real children often don't have a happy ending.
Mike took on text messaging, online gaming sites, social networking and cyberbullying – offering safety tips to protect students from online predators.
"Don't be scared," he reassured students. "You have the knowledge and the power to keep yourself safe if you remember my number one rule." Adults, he says, are your best resource if anything or anyone makes you feel uncomfortable.
"Grown ups have experiences that can help you figure things out," he reminded them. "Always tell an adult." Following the presentation, several students took his advice and approached Mike to ask about situations they had experienced.
Eighth grader Lyndsey Benes was surprised to learn Mike's office has arrested 22 predators already this year. She's active only on Instagram, and made sure her profile was set to "private."
"The talk made me think about how people online can pretend to be someone else," she says. "I asked my friends to make sure they had private profiles, too, so no one can look at their pictures and copy them."
According to Lyndsey, students took the presentation very seriously. "A lot of kids were impacted by it and they're being more careful now," she says. "This message will stay with me forever. I'll never forget it."
Later, parents heard an adult-oriented version of the presentation at a Parent Education Network (PEN) event in the Fries Family Theater. Mike challenged parents to know their children's passwords and to investigate the applications kids have loaded on their devices. For more information about Internet safety, go to www.cheezo.org.
"Grown ups have experiences that can help you figure things out," he reminded them. "Always tell an adult." Following the presentation, several students took his advice and approached Mike to ask about situations they had experienced.
Eighth grader Lyndsey Benes was surprised to learn Mike's office has arrested 22 predators already this year. She's active only on Instagram, and made sure her profile was set to "private."
"The talk made me think about how people online can pretend to be someone else," she says. "I asked my friends to make sure they had private profiles, too, so no one can look at their pictures and copy them."
According to Lyndsey, students took the presentation very seriously. "A lot of kids were impacted by it and they're being more careful now," she says. "This message will stay with me forever. I'll never forget it."
Later, parents heard an adult-oriented version of the presentation at a Parent Education Network (PEN) event in the Fries Family Theater. Mike challenged parents to know their children's passwords and to investigate the applications kids have loaded on their devices. For more information about Internet safety, go to www.cheezo.org.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
