Concerned about your children and the Internet? Local seminar addresses concerns

As children return to school for another year, parents continue to be faced with new challenges in the growing cyber world that we all now inhabit. Like all places we visit, there are some inherent dangers. The virtual world is no different. In fact, it possibly has more dangers than many real locations. Fort Safety is a non-profit organization that is trying to help parents negotiate this new world with all its dangers for their children, some of the children as young as elementary school age. A recent City of Monroe Police report dealt with a grandfather’s concern that his 6-year-old granddaughter was receiving obscene phone calls on her cell phone.

John Winstanley, founder of Fort Safety, is hoping to be able to get into school systems to help educate the students on how to protect themselves. He also, with the help of the Orchard Church, is hosting a seminar next month to help parents understand the dangers and how they can help protect their children. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, he – and a panel of local experts from law enforcement, education and businesses – will discuss the new age of internet predators, explicit content, social media, bullying and sexting. The panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m., but there will be opportunities beforehand to speak to various specialists and vendors who will be on hand to address some of the issues. There also will be opportunities to ask questions of the panelists on specific concerns about which parents may want answers.

There will be dinner and childcare for those who pre-register, which you can do by tapping or clicking on this link.

The seminar will take place at the Orchard Church, which is located at 1950 Highway 81 in Loganville. Click or tap on this link for Fort Safety’s Facebook page for more information on the event. Click or tap on this link for the Fort Safety website.

“Our goal is to make parents feel better prepared to raise and protect their children in the digital era,” Winstanley said. “We want parents to leave the seminar a part of a growing community of cyber savvy parents.”