Net Navigation

There's a running list of things I don't understand and one of them is the internet. The internet is constantly changing. It goes deep and wide. Another thing I don't understand is teenagers. We may just use the internet for the things that we normally do like podcasts, shopping Facebook, and the rest. But teenagers, what do they do on the internet? Do they feel the same as we do and just use the internet for Amazon Prime orders, social posts, and reading safe blogs?

I may not understand teens and I may not understand the vastness of the internet, but I've come to my senses when it comes to teens and the World Wide Web. We can't bury our heads in the sand. That is why Christina Jontra is the perfect guest for today’s show and today’s times. Christina has a background in teaching and technology. When working in a school, she noticed an alarming trend with kids internet use and being preyed on by predators. YouTube, social media, and games with chat are all tools that predators can use to patiently groom our children for a disastrous meeting. 

The internet is also permanent. Most of us don’t have to worry about the dumb things we did as teens or preteens following us around, but our kids do. There are also dangers of accidentally stumbling on porn or graphic violence. There are also issues with kids being bullied or feeling left out of things that can impact their self esteem. This is why Christina started Neptune Navigate. She educates parents, kids, and teens on how to navigate in this digital age. We talk about when a kid should get a mobile device, how to monitor kids usage, ways to educate you and your teen, and how to find out more by asking Christina questions. 

Show Notes:

• [05:33] Christina was the director of digital learning at Grace Community School in Tyler, TX. 
• [06:48] Her school had an iPad program where each student got an iPad. Christina felt such responsibility turning the kids loose on the internet. A young girl was being harassed by a boy through the messaging app Kik. 
• [08:14] Kik only keeps 50 interactions. The boy in question wasn't doing it. Someone had stolen his likeness. 
• [09:56] Christina wanted the email account attached to that boy's account. Kik a Canadian company wouldn't share it.
• [10:32] Christina's husband overhears some kids talking about pretending to be older than they are on Kik. 
• [11:00] They informed the kids' parents.
• [13:09] Christina discovers how patient sexual predators can be. A predator played games online with a young girl for years before coming to her town and raping her. The young woman spent her senior year of high school testifying in three trials. 
• [13:38] Christina began reading and researching this. She spent hours researching and started talking to parents about things they could do at home to help keep their kids safe.
• [14:55] The young woman who was raped decided to also talk to the parents.
• [15:44] Mobile devices can give predators easy access to our kids.
• [16:50] After eight years, Christina quit her job and decided to help educate parents and children how to better navigate this digital world. 
• [17:27] They launched a year ago as a research library. Now they are going to put everything out for free. They also have a school program. 
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