Social media use among youth has risen in recent years, but many teens often don’t see the dangers associated with those sites.
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Agent Kevin Roughton was on hand at Arendell Parrott Academy on Wednesday to discuss those dangers with the fourth-eighth grades.
Crystal Lewis, middle school guidance counselor at Parrott Academy, said the presentation fit in with other parts of the academy’s curriculum.
“We felt as part of our character development program, we needed to offer the opportunity to educate students on social media, Internet safety and cyber bullying. I then searched for an expert, and found agent Roughton,” she said.
During his presentation, Roughton discussed the dangers of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
He pointed out how easy it is for someone to find a person’s location just by having a city and last name.
Roughton stressed several times the dangers of talking to just anyone online.
“The bottom line is, if you do not know the person on the other end of the conversation, you do not know them,” he said.
What recieved the biggest reaction from students was when Roughton brought up the Facebook profile of Amanda Little, someone many students had accepted as a Facebook friend in recent days.
Roughton revealed that he was in fact Amanda Little. He then showed students how easy it was for him to gain access to their profiles and personal information. He pointed out to students that if he could do it, others could as well.
Roughton also discussed several other issues, such as keeping information private and how once something is posted online, it’s out there, even if it is deleted.
“Always think before you post,” he said.
Afterwards, Lewis said she felt the presentation was a success.
“I think he hit home pretty quickly when he started bring up some of their own profiles on the screen. I think he did a great job,” she said.
Roughton said when he brings up the fake profile, it usually has an effect on students.
“It has a bigger impact because to them it’s real,” he said.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @nclark763.
Breakout Box
Internet danger statistics
60 percent of teens have received an instant message from stranger
56 percent of teens have more than one email address
21 percent of teens have four or more email addresses
Safety concerns for children with Internet profiles
29 percent give their full name
67 percent post their age
39 percent post a complete birth date
61 percent post contact information
44 percent post email address and IM screen names
59 percent post their location
Source: S.B.I. Agent Kevin Roughton