Editor,
I’m writing with a heartfelt thank you to Detective Ashton, Officer Hernandez, and Detective Gensemer for presenting a PTA Coffee Break lecture about social media safety to our community.
With nearly 200 parents and children in attendance, it is obviously a topic that our community is concerned about and interested in. The officers did an amazing job presenting the information to both children and adults, not an easy task considering the age differences and the content.
I feel that one of the best take-aways from the night was that hopefully it opened a line of communication between parents and kids about the real inherent dangers of social media. It is not just fun and games.
The officers did an excellent job at outlining steps parents and children can take to stay safe on social media, not only from predators, but also how to protect their reputation, and possibly college and career opportunities, as well as how to stop engaging in online behavior that can ultimately lead to depression or suicide. In this digital age, our children are exposed to so many negative influences. If we can provide parents with the tools to protect their kids and ban together as a community to stick by those rules, we can change the course of our kids’ future in such a positive way. I honestly feel that the presentation might have saved one or more of our kids from becoming victims! That is powerful.
An outline of the presentation will be posted on GoToCoffeeBreak.com.
Sharael Kolberg, Laguna Beach
