Soon after (and much to my surprise), “Sophie” received international attention when I was approached by Molouk Y. Ba-Isa, Gulf Editor of the Saudi Gazette and one of the first female journalists ever to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I couldn’t quite believe I was hearing from someone so far away… who was interested in this book. Molouk explained to me that everyone “from grannies to babies” has a Facebook page there and no one is monitoring the kids. She had been arguing with professors at the King Fahd University about how kids do in fact need guidance in this area… and then, somehow, she stumbled upon my book! She explained that if it was okay with me she would send me interview questions and put together a nice article. It turned out to be a full page, 1500 word piece in one of the most widely read newspapers in Saudi Arabia. Not bad and very unique for one of my first pieces of written press!
The past two years have taken me on a wonderful journey. This “little” book has opened up compelling and fascinating conversations, and given me the opportunity to lend my voice to a subject which I’m passionate about. I have guested regularly on local television (FOX29 Good Day Philadelphia & CBS3 Philly) as an expert and am currently scheduling “A Very Social Presentation” assemblies with schools around the country. Looking forward to whatever comes next and am very thankful to have had incredible support and encouragement from so many of you.
This recent message from Samgladiator, a popular Minecraft YouTuber, is a perfect example of why it is so important for kids to be aware of who they are communicating with online.
If we choose to allow our kids onto the playground that is the WORLD WIDE WEB, it is our job as parents to make our best effort to get involved and help them. We cannot just take their word for it. Believe me, I know it can be overwhelming and time consuming however, with the headlines being what they are today, it is important to educate ourselves.
My daughter Sophie is a huge fan of Minecraft and Samgladiator. Last night she sent me this text:
Sam created the video after finding out that someone was impersonating him online, even going so far as luring kids in an attempt to meet up with them in person.
A big part of my “Very Social Presentation” to kids and parents focuses on being aware of who you connect with online. We talk a lot about why it is important, especially at a young age, to avoid being connected with people you don’t know ‘IRL’ (In Real Life). Children are, by nature, trusting and often don’t comprehend how easy it is for anyone to pretend to be someone they’re not… and there is no one standing in a virtual entryway checking photo ID’s. We talk about how to identify “verified” accounts vs. “fan” or fake accounts. Typically, unless an account is verified – usually with a little blue checkmark (example from Twitter below) – there is no way to be sure.
I think the message Sam sends is made more powerful by the fact that it is coming directly and very personally from him. I like that he also shows examples of the ways in which the imposter was attempting to communicate with his fans, asking them to sign up for role play groups and telling them they could be part of the Samgladiator crew. It is disturbing to say the least.
Whether your kids are into Minecraft or not, this is indeed a universal and very important message. Please watch and share!
@Sophie Takes a Selfie Rule No. 15 – #ProtectYourPrivacy
One of the most asked questions I received after speaking to over 650 elementary school students was “Could you show us how to turn off geotagging?”
Follow these simple steps to turn off geotagging on the iPhone and iPad:
1. Go into Settings – Tap “Privacy” (towards bottom of screen)
2. Once in Privacy – Tap “Location Services” – I have my Location Services on because I use GPS, Maps, wifi etc., however, you will notice that most other apps are set to “Never”.
3. Once in “Location Services” – Tap “Camera”
4. Switch to “Never”, then go back to previous screen and check other applications as necessary.
Jennifer J. Cannon 