Health Beat - Spring 2020 - 11

More Resources on
Internet Safety and
Human Trafficking

Keep devices in
a common area.

In A Cybercop's Guide to Internet
Child Safety, retired police detective
Glen Klinkhart urges parents to follow
this top tip for protecting children:
"Get the internet out of your
child's bedroom (that includes
their cellphone)."
Allowing children unfiltered access
to the internet puts them at the greatest danger of being victimized or even
becoming a victimizer. Keep devices in
a common area where kids are easily
monitored by you and remain accountable. Establish nighttime rules for turning in cellphones and other electronic
devices or placing them in a designated
charging station before bed.

Set limits and
establish rules.

Limit the time your children can
spend on the internet in a day. Have
your children check with you before
downloading new apps to their phones
and discuss how to use them safely.
Make it a rule that they must ask an
adult before they "friend" someone
online. Do not let someone you do
not know in real life be your child's
online friend.
Make sure kids know that if they see
something questionable or upsetting,
or if they are contacted by a stranger
online, they need to report it to you or
another trusted adult. Teach your kids
not to keep secrets, and have them tell
you immediately if someone tells them
not to tell.

Monitor your child's
devices and access
to the internet.

It's important to know the breadth of
your child's online footprint. You'll want

Forensic Nursing at Salina Regional Health Center:
srhc.com/services/forensic-nursing.php
Shared Hope International: sharedhope.org/internetsafety
Kansas Attorney General:
ag.ks.gov/public-safety/human-trafficking

to monitor every device that connects
to the internet. That means cellphones,
laptops, desktop computers, tablets and
gaming consoles. You also want to know
how many email accounts your child
has, and if he or she uses social media,
and which platforms. Knowing what
your kids have access to at school, at
the library and at home allows you
to provide continued education on
internet safety.
Be aware that online games also
have chat components used by human
traffickers. Kansas Wesleyan University's
competitive gaming coach Esteban
Paredes says gamers should never share
their personal information on gaming
sites and should always use an alias. He
encourages parents to sit down with
their kids and watch them play.

Change privacy settings
and filters regularly.

Be sure to manage parental
and privacy settings. Gaming systems,
apps, internet service providers and
any connected devices have options

for privacy filters. These filters are not
foolproof, but they're a good first barrier
to protecting what sites your children
have access to and who has access to
your children.

Tell your children that
it's never appropriate to
send a nude photo. Ever.

According to Shared Hope International,
a nonprofit organization that fights sex
trafficking, 1 in 4 teens admit to sending
sexually explicit images or messages,
also called "sexting." The emotional
ramifications for kids who participate
in this behavior can be overwhelming
and can put their future opportunities
at risk. Additionally, many tragic stories
of children being forced into sex trafficking begin with sexts as a means of
coercion to get youths to comply with a
pimp's demands.
Sexting is a difficult topic to discuss
with your children, but it is essential
that parents talk to their kids about this
behavior. Once images are sent, they
cannot be deleted or taken back. 1

WHERE NURSING MEETS THE LAW
Forensic Nursing Services at Salina Regional Health Center
offers public awareness and education opportunities for
groups upon request. Call 785-452-7095 to inquire.

FIND OUT more about forensic nursing under the "Services" tab at srhc.com

FdHDSP20135_Salina.indd 11

1/23/20 4:53 PM

http://www.srhc.com/services/forensic-nursing.php http://www.sharedhope.org/internetsafety http://ag.ks.gov/public-safety/human-trafficking http://www.srhc.com

Health Beat - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Beat - Spring 2020