Keeping children safe online.
That was the premise behind a special convocation recently held for dozens of Northwestern Middle School students.
The event was spearheaded by NMS teacher Paula Davis and featured a presentation from Kokomo Police Department Det. Sgt. Drew Wallsmith and former Howard Superior Court 2 Judge Brant Parry.
“About four-and-a-half years ago, I really started paying attention to more of what was going on at the state and federal level with internet usage and social media with kids,” Davis said. “As an educator and parent of teenagers, just kind of seeing what our kids were being exposed to, I realized there’s a lot of things happening that parents aren’t even aware of.”
So Davis and other NMS officials decided to be proactive instead of reactive on the subject, she noted.
Last year, the school held a similar convocation for fifth- through eighth-grade students, as well as a separate one for parents.
This year, parents were livestreamed into the same presentation, which addressed everything from sextortion and online bullying to scams and mental health.
That way, Davis said, families could address the subject that night at the dinner table.
“We wanted the parents and students to get the same information at the same time,” Davis said. “Then, those parents and students can talk about it together at home and continue that dialogue of what all that looks like within their own families.”
The convocation was timely too, Davis admitted.
In January, 17-year-old Fishers resident Hailey Buzbee went missing from her Hamilton County neighborhood. Her remains were later found in Perry County, Ohio.
Police ultimately arrested Tyler Thomas of Ohio in connection with Buzbee’s disappearance and death, and he reportedly told authorities he contacted Buzbee via an online gaming platform.
Just last week, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed into law two new pieces of legislation aimed at keeping young people safe online.
Called “Hailey’s Law,” the legislation requires anyone younger than 16 to have parental approval to open a social media account, along with giving parents access to their children’s social media accounts so that they can set restrictions on who that child interacts with online.
It also increases the penalties for those who possess or share child sex abuse material and changes how Indiana’s alert system handles missing children believed to be in danger.
Braun said additional safety measures regarding children and online safety could also come in future legislation.
While NMS officials say their convocation was put in place prior to Buzbee’s disappearance and death, it does drive home the message about safety online.
“We have to help students make the right decisions,” Davis said. “And so having that conversation now to help these kids navigate these situations is key. If this saves one child today from becoming a victim, then it’s an hour well spent.”
Wallsmith agreed with Davis, saying he’s seen far too often what can happen to children online through his work on the department’s digital crimes unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
“In the past, you played a video game and it was just you on there,” he said. “Nowadays though, you have kids playing video games and joining a whole other community. They have access to headsets and voice chats. Yes, that’s fun and can be entertaining, but it can also be dangerous.”
That’s because potential “predators” can also be out there looking to lure those youth into inappropriate situations, Wallsmith noted.
“They know the lingo,” he said, referring to online predators. “They know how to use that and trick children into believing them. Oftentimes the young person thinks they are smart enough to identify it and stay away from it, but these adults are usually pretty good at doing bad things.”
That’s where parents, guardians and even the rest of the community comes into play, both Davis and Wallsmith acknowledged.
Because it really does take a village to raise a child, they said.
“The purpose is to not scare anyone away from using the internet,” Wallsmith said. “We know the values and benefits of having it. But there are a lot of bad people out there too. looking to exploit, entice and solicit children. And it takes all of us coming together to make sure these children stay safe.”
For more information and tips to keep children safe online, visit the website at https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/keeping-children-safe-online.
