Police, school officials say online safety important part of back-to-school kit in Winnipeg

Pencils, glue, a fresh set of markers, these are all staples for kids set to return to school, but police and education leaders say families should also add an extra layer of education — and awareness — when it comes to online safety as kids return to the classroom en-masse.

Parents excited to celebrate the first week school or a move to the next grade may be eager to share info about their kid’s new school and teacher online, but Cst. Blake Muggleton, the Winnipeg Police Service’s school education officer, says parents should think twice about what they post.

“We have a lot of information we put out about the first day of school and we put names and we put details, the school and their age and things like that, and it’s not necessarily needed, because those we’re sharing with on Facebook should already know that information,” said Cst. Muggleton.

“It’s one of those things, where you got to think through the process of: ‘what information do I really want to share with strangers around my kid?”

Muggleton says parents must ensure social media privacy settings are strong, but stressed it’s also critical for parents to educate themselves on how to monitor their kid’s online footprint directly.

“We put technology into kids hands these days that we, as adults have never had access to when we were children. We’re coming into this technology as orphans. We don’t really understand it as well as our kids and I think that’s the thing. We need to understand it and as educate ourselves so we actually know what is going on on there. We need to. As responsible adults, we have to be involved in that, there’s no excuse, really, for not.” he explained.

Officials at the province’s largest division in the Winnipeg School Division No.1, say parents need to take an educational approach when it comes to keeping kids safe online in terms of bullying or inappropriate social media behaviour.

Jón Olafson, Service Director of Inclusion Support Services, with the Winnipeg School Division, says open conversations about digital citizenship are critical when it comes to helping kids navigate the online realm.

“We know that social media is a big part of life for everyone, but particularly children, youth and families,” said Jón Olafson, Service Director of Inclusion Support Services with the Winnipeg School Division. “It’s not something we’re seeing a drastic increase in, but it’s something we are definitely aware of.”

Olafson says they’re constantly teaching kids how to be good digital citizens, and taking appropriate action and intervention when needed, but said the conversation has to be happening at home as well.

“We always encourage parents and guardians to have an open conversation around how their youth and their children are interacting with their peers. That could extend to the school level, that can extend to the school community and on the playground, but it also can extend to social media and apps.”