Tell your kids to remember the "Grandmother Rule!" If you wouldn't want your Grandmother to see your text or post, you probably shouldn't send it! Anything we do online can potentially end up publicly online forever. We adults may want to consider this rule also.

Remember! Where ever our children are, so are predators. We wouldn't send our children to a physical playground without giving them safety guidelines, so make sure we give them safety guidelines for their online playgrounds. About 72% of all online gamers are over the age of 18.

Remember Personal Branding! We should be using our social media as a resume. Most colleges and some workplaces are reviewing an applicants social media post before offering a scholarship or a position at their workplace.

When we give our child their first device, we are opening a window to the world. This window will allow access to many wonderful things, but it also allows many terrible things, access to our children. The average age for exposure to pornography is 11 years of age.

Be careful of what you share online!

Children are being exposed to the internet at younger ages. They are more adept at exploring the web than most of us, and are natural explorers. As a parent we need to make sure we are educating ourselves on the dangers of the internet, otherwise, how can we protect our children.

bark.us/blog/predators…

Just a friendly reminder. The Maryland State Police offers a FREE internet safety presentation. The presentation can be virtual or in person. So if your organization is interested in a presentation, contact Joe Dugan @ [email protected] for more info.

TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D'Amelio on being bullied online | UNICEF youtu.be/-jFYPyC9n_0 via YouTube

fightthenewdrug.org/why-consuming-…

The average age for a child to get their first device is 10 years of age. The average age for exposure to adult imagery is 11 years of age.. So at the point we give our child their first device is when the become most vulnerable.

As we prepare to go back to school, one of our children’s biggest safety risk, is the loss of privacy. Whether it be on social media, gaming or private text. Anything we share could become public and permanent. We should encourage our children to be careful what we share.

Another danger to our children face online is the games they play. Studies show that 70% of online gamers are over the age of 18. When a child enters a game, especially as a “newbie” they could be playing with very competitive adults, which could lead to bullying.

Wicker is an app, I have just become aware of. It is a video chat/texting app, that is end to end encrypted and is deleted from the server after the users sign off. If you see this app on your child's phone you may want to ask why they need an encrypted messaging system.

Encourage our children to use their social media accounts as “Personal Branding”. They should start thinking of their social media as a job resume or a college application. Employers and colleges could turn potential employees/students away, because of their social media presence

Come visit us at Carroll County Fair.

National Night Out! City of New Carrollton!