A foundation originally aimed at finding missing children in Manitoba spread its wings and recently launched a website dedicated to keeping kids safe online.
A foundation originally aimed at finding missing children in Manitoba spread its wings and recently launched a website dedicated to keeping kids safe online.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection got its start as Child Find Manitoba more than 30 years ago before expanding into a number of different branches all with one common theme – keeping children safe.
“Over the years with the changing landscape of missing children and the emergence of the Internet, there were a variety of different avenues in terms of personal safety, so now as a national charity we focus on children's safety,” said Karyn Kibsey, manager of training and education for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
The centre's latest undertaking, a website dedicated to informing parents about potential risks of children being online and how to teach Internet safety, launched in the fall of 2017. At www.protectkidsonline.ca, parents can find information about potential dangers, as well as ways to get online alerts and updates about new developments on apps or websites, and also report potentially dangerous activity.
Education is a major part of the centre's mandate, said Kibsey.
“The goal of the website is really to help parents keep up with what kids are doing online, so that entails knowing what's popular with different age groups, possible risks associated with online activity, and providing a starting point to have safety discussions at home,” she said.
Having those conversations with children at home is important in keeping them safe both online and offline, she said.
Parents can get information from the website to help facilitate the discussion at an appropriate level for their children, she said.
“It keeps them in a way that's age–appropriate, because we want parents to take this information and really use it to have those discussions with their kids, to empower them when we're talking to kids about online safety,” said Kibsey. “It's really about empowering them and not about scaring them.”
Sometimes even parents who are in the know might not be up-to-speed on changes to technology, apps or sites their children are using, she said. With regular updates, the protectkidsonline.ca site can help everyone stay on top of recent developments, she said.
She said when it comes to online safety, parents need to be thinking about three major factors: content – what kids are exposed to, contact – who they're connecting with, and conduct – what their online behavior is.
Children are also receiving the message through education programs in schools across the nation, put on by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, she said.
“It helps to educate our children and it also keeps a finger on the pulse of what's going on and making sure parents have the most accurate information,” said Kibsey.
Other features of the website include a link for Cybertip Alerts, which is a newsletter service outlining any concerning trends or emerging issues to keep parents informed, she said.
Another link, under a button that says, “Concerned about a child?' will take the user to a page with links for reporting any concerning behavior online, she said.
“The goal is to keep parents informed in this constantly-changing technological world so they can, in turn, help to keep their kids safe,” said Kibsey.
Okotoks RCMP Const. Rita Gillis said offering parents a way to start the conversation is important. It's one of the things she gets asked about the most, as the school resource officer in the detachment.
“Sometimes there's concern if they've already given their child a device and they don't have a lot of parameters or rules in place concerning that device,” said Gillis. “How do they now go back and put some rules and some more structure in place for their young person? I get lots of questions about that.”
She said some of the issues she comes across most in Okotoks are sexting among adolescents – including sending inappropriate photos – and cyber-bullying.
The Internet isn't disappearing any time soon, so Gillis said its important for children and young adults to be safe, and for parents to know what's going on.
“It's ongoing for sure, and growing as well,” she said. “In young person's lives their social media reality is so intertwined with their actual reality that it's an ever-present part of their lives.”
