Friday, January 24, 2014
I have no idea what I was thinking in this particular photo other than the fact that Big Mama does NOT look amused
The kids at Brady Middle are hilarious. In my
most popular internet safety presentation for upper-school students – “Don’t Be A Sheep“ – we begin with media literacy. We ask questions like “If Abercrombie and Fitch sell clothing why are their ads always filled with primarily naked models?”. We learned that if you are a young man who wears Axe? body spray, that half-naked angels will come hurtling across the cosmos just to smell you. And that if you are a young lady, most “vomit magazines” presume that your only role in life is to find a man and only by wielding your perfect body/hair/nails/face/clothing you will keep him.
The Brady Middle kids did not miss a beat. We collectively laughed our faces off at what mass media would have us believe and agreed that we would no longer “be sheep” at the media messages being forced down our throats.
But what about other influences and threats? I told them that their generation of children are being “hyper-sexualized”. When I asked them what they thought that meant, hilarity ensued. I can’t share most of the comments here, but I CAN tell you what it does NOT mean:
- having sex really, really fast
- having cyber-sex (kudos to the kid who knew this was even a thing)
- being “hyper” while you have sex
- “extreme” sex – (note: I think this young man was referring to some variation of “extreme sports” but I did not feel brave enough to ask)
They agreed that they have access to, and consume significant amounts of sexualized content – some their parents know about, most they don’t know about.
We moved on to cyberbullying, sexual predation, and sexting. We talked about the people in the world who would do them harm – including the boogeyman in the night as well as potentially their own classmates. The conversations were open and very, very frank. I told them my ultimate goal was to make someone vomit. I came close.
I shared with them my ‘Big Mama’ directives which are non-negotiable:
- get rid of Ask.fm and SnapChat altogether – no exceptions
- get rid of Kik
- lock down their Twitter and Instagram profiles to PRIVATE
- remove ‘location services’ from their devices
- put a post it note over webcams on all devices (including tablets and gaming systems)
- never post “gonna-be” content – (posting in advance where you’re ‘gonna be’)
- never, ever take photos of your junk (it’s a felony)
- never, ever ask anyone ELSE to take a photo of their junk (it’s a felony)
- if mom has to remind you to wash said junk, no one wants to see a photo of it anyhow – seriously
In the final analysis I found the students willing to have the conversation. They were open, and witty, and smart – even as they do dopey things and stumble through middle school.
Thank you kiddos of BMS, you made my job much easier just by being who you are. And remember what I said, if BMS administrators have to call me back for any reason, I will NOT be a happy camper. Do the right thing – and Don’t Be A Sheep.
Parents – you’re next…..the parent version will be held on March 4, 2104. In the meantime, you can
read these internet safety tips for parents….stay tuned.
Special thanks to:
- Orange City Schools and Brady Middle School (BMS Twitter) and (Facebook)
- Principal Brian Frank and Asst. Principal Darla Wagner, as well as the entire tech and guidance staff who spent two days running in and out of that room to make sure it all went well. I was incredibly impressed with the professionalism, organization, and dedicated of your entire team. Well done!
- Orange PTA especially Lisa Goodman ,Wendy Blaszak, and Tracy Russo (as well as the general Orange PTA team)
Read more from the Internet Safety Blog
Jesse Weinberger is an Internet Safety Expert, digital strategist, instructor, and the owner of OvernightGeek University. Weinberger has created
an online course for parents and families called Internet Safety for Families.
She has been teaching parents, schools, and students how to navigate online and mobile risks since 2003.
Jesse is available for presentations to schools, parents, students, and organizations.