School division offers safety tips for social media at forum

Parents and kids learned about online safety at John Taylor Collegiate.

Kids and teenagers are increasingly turning online to socialize with their friends on apps like Twitter, Instagram and Snap Chat.

That’s why the St. James Assiniboia School Division invited students and parents to a social media forum on Wednesday night.

More than 100 people gathered at John Taylor Collegiate to learn about online safety, including Leanne Feiffer and her ten year old daughter, Amber.

“There’s been some cyber-bullying and some mean girl talk. So we just wanted to see how we could eliminate those kinds of issues,” said Feiffer.

Feiffer’s daughter uses Instagram, Snap Chat, and Kik in her daily life.

“More and more people are using social media outside of schools and it’s really essential that kids know how to use social media safely and responsibly,” said Andy McKiel, a curriculum coordinator with the St. James-Assiniboia School Division.

McKiel led one of several presentations designed to show parents what kinds of apps their kids might be using, and teach kids the consequences of posting things online.

“Everything that they post to social media is public and permanent,” said McKiel.

He advised parents to talk with kids about social media safety, set limits, and lead by example.

“If the parents aren’t making good choices or aren’t working to help their kids understand how to use those tools, they’re doing their kids a disservice,” said McKiel.

Leanne Feiffer said she got the tools she needed to feel confident when her daughter Amber is online, and Amber learned how to bring her parents into her online world.

McKiel also said there are many positive aspects of using social media.

He said it makes the world smaller, and can be used to let kids connect with other kids around the world in a monitored environment.