“You Wouldn’t Steal a Car”
I think everyone born 2001 and prior can confidently say that they have seen this video
And if you haven’t, I feel sorry for you because I feel like this video was a defining PSA of the early 2000’s and for myself, the only “cyber safety” knowledge I obtained for the longest time.
During my school years of 2006-2019, I truthfully don’t recall having any teaching regarding cyber security and an online presence. My parents, as most parents were, very ill-equipped when it comes to learning about and dealing with technology. The TV remote was my parents worst enemy which meant computers faired even worse. All my learning was self-taught and putting the unsupervised and unrestricted internet into the hands of an 10 year old probably was not the best idea.
The only formal education we got was in my Grade 7 year when the police had to come to my elementary school and talk with the Grade 7/8’s about sexting and sending nudes which is a fairly sad thing to have to talk to 13/14 year old students about.
I understand that during the time I was making my way through Elementary and High School… that technology was evolving at such a rapid rate that the adults and guardians in our life had a hard time keeping up. I hope that moving forward, we are better equipped to shield our kids from the dangers of the internet and the people on the internet, as well as give them tools to properly navigate the web.
Hi Noah,
Thank you for sharing your insight on the topic of cyber safety. Your experience underscores the critical need for comprehensive cyber safety education, starting from a young age. It’s heartening to see efforts being made, like the session you mentioned in Grade 7, although it’s unfortunate that such discussions often arise from negative incidents. I share your hope that we can better equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools to navigate the internet safely. It’s for sure a collective responsibility involving parents, educators, policymakers, and technology companies to create a safer online environment for children and adolescents.