By James Peters

Social media seminar planned for Kamloops parents

May 2, 2017 | 10:49 AM

KAMLOOPS — A seminar planned for next Tuesday is meant to give parents tools to help their children avoid getting hurt or hurting others on social media.

The seminar “Digital Safety for Our Youth” is being put on jointly by Kamloops RCMP and the Kamloops-Thompson School District, and features guest speaker Jesse Miller.

“I’ve seen Jesse many times and he’s just excellent in the information he gives and how he presents it,” said Cpl. Jodi Shelkie. “He’s a national speaker on social media awareness and internet safety, and his presentations are entertaining and also informational.”

“Children get smartphones at a younger and younger age. All those social media apps that are available to them can sometimes lead them astray or can be harmful to them, or can cause harm to others. So this is just a great discussion on how to guide your children through using smartphones.”

Shelkie says the face of bullying has changed a lot in the past decade.

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“We don’t see it so much as police officers now in the interactions between the students in the schools; we see it online. We get probably as many reports of bullying incidents, but many now are over social media rather than in person, in the hallways, in the school or in the playground.”

“It’s a concerning thing, and it’s something that parents can help guide their children and set rules about how social media should be used, and in what direction they should take their conversations.”

The seminar takes place next Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Henry Grube Educational Centre.

Shelkie acknowledges the seminar does take place on the same day as the provincial election, but encourages parents to vote first, then come to the event.