Internet safety tips for parents at Monsignor O’Neil: The Internet never forgets

IT/Cyber security expert Paul Davis spoke to both Monsignor O’Neil students during the day, and parents in the evening, about Internet safety. (Debbie Kasman Photo)

Debbie Kasman, Tillsonburg Post Correspondent

Monsignor O’Neil Catholic School hosted IT/Cyber professional Paul Davis to speak to parents and students about Internet safety on June 18. The title of the presentation was, “The Internet Never Forgets.”

Davis brings more than 34 years of IT knowledge and expertise to his speaking engagements. He has presented to more than 1,000,000 students in person and 105,000 virtually from Grades 4 to 12 in Canada and the U.S. He has appeared on CTV News, CBC, Global TV, and Breakfast Television.

Davis spoke to students in Grades 4 through 8 during the day, and to parents in the evening. Students and parents learned firsthand the dangers of Internet use, social media, and online gaming.

Davis says parents give their kids too much technology at too young an age, while emphasizing that children should not have access to a smart phone until the end of Grade 8.

He also said children should not be given access to social media until the age of 13, and only with strict privacy restrictions in place, and close monitoring by parents.

Davis admits this is a hard line for parents to take. But he says, all you have to say is, “I love you, and it’s my job to keep you safe.” Parents should also remember they are not their child’s friend.

The cyber expert also says that students should never have access to Snapchat, an instant messaging app that allows users to send photos and short videos. Davis calls this “a horrific choice” for kids because it fosters a toxic environment, promotes addiction, shallow communication, and poses severe safety risks.

Davis says students should not have access to Discord before the age of 15. Discord is a free communication platform that allows users to interact via voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media sharing. It presents hidden dangers due to a mix of anonymity, private servers, and public social spaces. Key risks include predatory behaviour also called cybergrooming.

According to Davis, Instagram at the age of 13 is okay, but with strict privacy restrictions in place, and with the ability for people to like or to comment on posts turned off.

He also cautions that adults and children should never share photos on AI, and TEMU should never be used. The data privacy risks are too extreme.

Davis emphasized that technology should never be allowed in a child’s bedroom, giving the chilling message, “Go home and clear all technology out of your child’s bedroom tonight.”

Davis says he’s not an alarmist. He just presents facts. And children are being exposed to pornography at a very young age. There is no way for pornographic images to be unseen once they’ve been seen. There are 100 cases of online luring a month across Canada.

Davis does not support a Canada-wide ban on social media until the age of 16 because he says it won’t work. He says kids will just find a way around the ban and the ban will be delayed through long challenges in the court system.

He says a much better way to keep kids safe is for parents to not let their kids have access to any technology until they are older, to not be given a cell phone until the end of Grade 8, to not be given access to social media until the age of 13, with strict rules and controls in place, and to take charge of their children’s safety themselves rather than expecting the government to do it.

If parents are concerned their child may have been exposed to a sexual predator online, they can contact Project Arachnid, a world leader in reducing the availability of child sexual abuse material on the Internet, for advice.

Parents can also search ESRB.org to find video game ratings before purchasing a game for their child and go to Unplugged Canada to support the delaying of cell phones until the age of 14.

Davis can be reached at facebook.com/PAULDAVISTIPS, Instagram: followPaulDavis, X: pauldavisSNS or at paul@pauldavis.life. He is the author of Online Safety For Grade 3/4/5/6, the guide for children connected to the Internet, 2025 edition.