Oregon Trail

Through most of my early elementary school years, cyber safety wasn’t even relevant. I don’t think my elementary schools really were wired for internet connections until about the mid to late 90s (although I did have to worry about getting typhoid fever, cholera or dysentery while playing Oregon Trail, ha-ha). I think had I been born in the late 90s or early 2000s, I would likely have a lot more to contribute to the role online safety played in my schooling.

It wasn’t until I hit about grade nine that digital citizenship or cyber safety even came into the picture. Initially, there were no extensive discussions about online safety, as people didn’t perceive it as a threatening environment. Access to the internet in my school was limited to a couple of shared computers in the central hub in the library. The websites you could access were limited to Microsoft Encarta and Mavis Beacon (I can’t say there was too much of a threat at this point).

 As I entered high school, the world entered an age of chatrooms and MSN Messenger. My family went on full-on high alert when it came to cyber safety. My parents likely heard some crazy stories on CNN or America’s Most Wanted about chatroom dangers, so they used intense scare tactics.

I remember my mom finding out that I had been in chatrooms; through her fearful tears, she told me if I continued, some creepy old dude would show up at my door to find me (modern-day candy or puppy in the back of a van story).  My dad’s most significant concern on our home computer was getting viruses; for a while, he insisted that any site we visited must be approved in advance.

By the time I hit grade 10 or 11, my high school displayed posters about online safety and protecting yourself online but I don’t think many of the scare tactic campaigns in schools started until after I had graduated. Honestly, I don’t think any scare tactic campaigns would have chased me out of chatrooms. Teenagers are some of the most stubborn and seemingly invincible creatures that roam the planet; they live with the notion that nothing will ever happen to them. After heading into my early adult years, I had a couple of close calls with creepy people I met online; perhaps my mom was right all along (don’t tell her though…it will go to her head). I am fortunate that not everyone I met online through chatrooms was a complete creep; I just celebrated my thirteenth wedding anniversary with someone I met online through a chat site called Nexopia (I guess not everything online is terrifying).

After watching the documentary The Sextortion of Amanda Todd, I feel compelled to have some serious conversations with my children. I think we need to be real with kids about what is happening, we need to teach them about kindness online and how to protect themselves. I think we need to take a balanced approach to educating our children while providing a heavy dose of the realities of the online world. The online world can be a wonderful place, but it can also be a dangerous and scary place. As educators and parents, we have the responsibility to do everything in our power to provide children with information and tools to be safe and successful online.