On 11 and 12 October, Brett Lee, from Internet Safe Education, presented to both students and parents about how to stay safe on the internet. It was an informative educational presentation from the highly credible Mr Lee who served 22 years as a Queensland Police detective and also worked in the USA with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr Lee had five main points to make to the Years 5-8 students who attended his presentations. They were:

1. The internet is PUBLIC and PERMANENT.
2. Protect your personal information.
3. People you’ve only met on the internet are strangers.
4. Talk to a trusted adult about a problem you have on the internet.
5. The internet will always have rules and laws, as well as consequences for breaking them.

After the presentation, students had the opportunity to ask questions. One student said, “You said that the internet is permanent, but Snapchat deletes pictures after you send them.” Mr Lee then explained that even though apps like Snapchat say that photos are deleted after the receiver sees them, that is not entirely truthful. The receiver can take a screenshot of the photo, and even if they don’t, the company that runs the app will have every photo stored on their servers ready to be used or sold as a form of marketing data.

Safety online continues to be a major concern for both schools and parents alike. Mr Shane Blake, Northpine’s Deputy Principal for Primary, said that Mr Lee’s presentation was “extremely valuable for both students and parents. It was an essential reminder to always be aware of what you and your children are doing on their devices.”