Local groups share safety tips for students heading back to school | Local News | #schoolsaftey

Back to school season can be especially stressful for students moving to new schools or otherwise trying to make new friends, Markham said. Some students may find it challenging to discern who among their peers and teachers could be healthy, positive influences. Markham said to trust your gut and proceed cautiously if things feel unsafe.

With the increased use and normalization of social media among students, Markham said back to school season can bring with it an increased risk of cyberbullying and exploitation by peers and strangers alike. Social media can be a great tool for connecting with friends and engaging with fellow students, but it can double as a harbinger for unhealthy interactions ranging from harassment to sextortion.

Chris McDonald, special agent and commander of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force, described sextortion as the exploitation of victims online by threatening to release sexually explicit material of the victim in exchange for money, more explicit materials or any other kind of gain to the perpetrator.

According to 2022 data collected by international anti-human trafficking organization Thorn, one in four victims of sextortion were younger than 13 when it happened. McDonald said reported incidents of sextortion have spiked in Wyoming over the past year and the victims are often teenage boys.

Markham said red flags to look out for in regards to identifying and avoiding bad actors online, both strangers and peers in real life, include boundaries being ignored, attempts to bribe or reward and requests to keep secrets from friends, family or trusted adults.

“‘There’s a big difference between secrets and surprises’ is what I always say, especially with younger kids,” Markham said. “Surprises are something fun, like throwing a party for someone and keeping it hush-hush until the party. That’s a surprise. A secret is like, ‘Hey, don’t tell anyone that I talked to you,’ or ‘Don’t tell anyone that I sent you this picture.’”

In her experience working to educate local youth on protecting themselves against exploitation and unhealthy relationships of all kinds, Markham said she has come to learn children and teenagers are more likely to identify unhealthy influences in the lives of their friends and peers than they are in themselves. This can be utilized as a strength to encourage students to look out and advocate for one another.

While it can be helpful for students to look out for one another, the burden of staying safe in social settings doesn’t just rest on the youth themselves — Markham said having a safe adult to confide in or reach out to for help drastically decreases children’s chances of becoming involved in unhealthy relationships and behaviors.

“Talk with your kids every day. Ask them what’s going on, ask them what’s happening on their apps, ask them what kind of work they’re doing on their Chromebooks, ask them to show you around all the aspects of their life, get to know their friends,” Markham said. “The more that [an adult is] involved, it significantly lowers the risk of exploitation and a whole host of other things that could come up with kids like mental health crises and involvement with drugs or alcohol.

“Anyone can really be a safe adult and a safe adult is just someone who respects youth, respects their boundaries, who always practices consent, who has open and honest conversations with them and is someone who they can come to and really trust,” Markham continued. “We need more of those kinds of people in our community to create those social safety nets that help keep kids safer.”