Protecting Children in a Digital World

16900 Gebhardt Rd.,Brookfield WI 53005

08 February, 2022

Description

Learn current digital trends among youth, dangerous behaviors, and trending apps, as well as developmental, social and legal consequences. As parents in a technology-immersed society, we have an increasing burden to protect our children from the dangers inherent in that technology and the way it is used. Children are uniquely susceptible to exploitation because their high level of comfort with technology/cell phones/iPods/iPads/gaming systems/etc makes them blind to the dangers that all of those devices pose. In this program, we will discuss tech safety in general, and describe the ways in which our children are using their technology (including specific apps that are most popular and “ghost/vault” apps that kids are using to conceal their behavior), why that is dangerous, and learn what we, as parents, need to do to ensure the safety of our children. We will also discuss generally some informational resources for additional guidance. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ About the Speaker: Helen Wasmer is a 30 year veteran of law enforcement and a 25 year employee of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. She has worked at the local, county, state, and Federal levels of law enforcement. As a Special Agent with the Department of Justice for 18 years, Helen investigated criminal activity ranging from illegal narcotics to Internet Crimes Against Children and Public integrity. She also spent two years at the DEA investigating heroin trafficking in southeast Wisconsin, and two years at the FBI as part of a Cyber Crime Task Force. Helen regularly speaks to middle school students about the dangers of current technology and how to enjoy it safely.