Locals looking to build up or freshen up on their internet safety skills will get the opportunity to do so next week.
Hosted by School District 78 (SD78), the White Hatter Internet Safety and Digital Literacy for Parents and Caregivers is a free workshop coming to Agassiz and Hope that aims to help parents to keep their kids safe on the internet. Taught by Brandon Laur, the “White Hatter,” this free-to-the-public crash course will be at the Agassiz Secondary Gym on Oct. 16 and at the Hope Secondary Gym on Oct. 17. For both days, the event starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m.
“The research is clear that the COVID-19 crisis, and subsequent lockdowns significantly impacted the already declining mental health and well-being of many of our children and youth,” said Bernard Klop, the district vice-principal of the inclusive education and mental health department. “The resulting social isolation/social distancing/social anxiety fuelled a dramatic increase in social media use among our young people. And emerging research, from American psychologist Jonathon Haidt, directly correlates this intense preoccupation with social media with increased levels of sleep deprivation, (concentration) challenges, loneliness, anxiety, depression and recurring thoughts of self-harm.
“The school district knows it can positively impact this alarming trend by partnering with our families, communities, and educational leaders and collaboratively exploring healthier options with a subject matter expert! Bringing the White Hatters to our Agassiz and Hope communities is a unique and free event we hope will be well received.”
According to their website, the White Hatter is an award-winning “internet safety and digital literacy education specialist company based in North America facilitating workshops and providing presentations on technology safety and privacy.” They work with “families, schools, businesses, charities, and non-profits helping to cultivate opportunities and address challenges in a digital world.”
Laur is the CEO of The White Hatter and an instructor who teaches and crafts digital literacy workshops to students, parents, educators, and business professionals. His lessons focus primarily on promoting internet safety and privacy. According to the White Hatter website, he has a MA degree in professional communication and does research centred on “hackers, scammers, and more recently, teenage sexting behaviours and associated challenges.”
During the two hours, people will get the chance to learn different skills to avoid getting taken advantage of or hurt while using the internet. This includes being taught about:
• The positives and negatives of the internet
• Challenges youth face
• How technology distracts, media over-consumption, and privacy concerns
• Online predators, nudes and sexting, and challenges for parents/caregivers
• How online information is used and collected
• The Opportunities technology provides
• Data tracking and collection
• Personal online legal consequences
• Concerning signs to look for regarding internet use
• Sleep concerns regarding internet use
• Managing social media accounts
• Exploitation
For more information, readers can visit www.thewhitehatter.ca .
