IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR, STUDENTS PICK UP THEIR BACKPACKS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THEN HEAD OFF TO SCHOOL.
In their backpack, parents would hope that their students have their finished homework organized, along with their chromebook. In reality, there could be dangers in disguise lurking in their backpack.
Things that look like everyday objects are actually hiding in plain sight. Objects such as Zyne packs that look like mint containers, fake car fobs, sharpies bought off Amazon that can be used to hide drugs, to hiding things in books, at the bottom of water bottles, vape in watches, hidden phone apps, private websites, among others.
Freedom comes in degrees, especially when it comes to proper limits and boundaries. When it comes to cell phones, social media and electronics, more freedom can be gained when used as a proper tool. A tool waits to be used, but these tools have been made to demand something from users, especially students who don’t have prior knowledge on what to look for or avoid. The price students pay is high if they are not given the knowledge on what dangers to look for and how to prevent them.
Perhaps the most confusing thing for students is to distinguish between what is private and what is public. What is safe to share and what is not. The extent of the confusion is that with cell phones, social media and electronics, everything looks public and accessible–it’s what everyone else has access to- why not me? Gone are the days where we were told “Stranger Danger” meant to avoid the creepy guy in the white van.
Students no longer listen to the man in the white van asking if they want “candy,” the temptation is all over, on Amazon, on Instagram or Roblox if they want. Today, students need to look out for what’s on their phone and what they are putting out there for everyone to see, not just their surroundings. The difference from the near past is that when private things are put out publicly, it can attract the danger in disguise or it can lead to danger whether they were looking for the danger or not.
At times, students are influenced and they don’t see that it is a negative influence.
Without the proper knowledge and training for students on what to look for, they may be blinded by the danger in disguise. Parents have a right to teach and influence their students proper communication tools, who to communicate to, what to communicate, and how to properly communicate boundaries and expectations when it comes to these dangers in disguise.
The hidden danger behind social media is that it can be a hindrance because the people who use social media are a commodity. It has become an economy of attention, the competition when utilizing social media is for our attention.
Attention is the product paid by advertisers and we are the product sold by advertisers. The way the algorithm, or the “mind” behind it enforces it, first, scheduling blocks of time we didn’t choose and second, can “see” when the user pauses to look, notifying that this is what the user likes so it will find similar content to be viewed.
Examples of this can look like: Snapstreaks create competition-You have to continue to day 483, or else.
Algorithms based on personal interests– Awe, look at the cute baby goats at the farm.
Notifications- Just reminding you not to forget to look at your calendar you already looked at today.
What are the effects of this?
Addiction: only people who use social media and drug addicts are called users.
Conspiracy: manipulation of beliefs/ facts.
The spread of false information: lack of discernment between what facts are true.
Cancel culture: regulating the interests of the people based on cultural judgements considered unacceptable.
Manipulation: control the information we can see, which causes division, or cultivates enticement.
Politics of fear: the disaster of the day, which feeds off of chaos.
Social validation: feeds the human desire for connection but isn’t authentic connection.
Something to look for is vault apps which are simply two apps that are the same on the phone. Vault apps are usually hiding something that is up to no good. Although apps can look like they are a lot of fun for students, they can pose some risks.
High risk chats and messaging apps:
Whatsapp: commonly has been used for child pornography. Oftentimes people think it's cryptic but it is self-policed by Meta.
Snapchat: Photos can disappear, see live location, can be hard for parents to monitor, quick switching between accounts, frequently used in extortion cases - predators can collect explicit photos.
Tiktok: Known history for exploitation, fake profiles.
Linktree: Often seen on Tiktok and other media accounts, linked to other websites.
Onlyfans: Porn website. Instagram: Exploitation, violence, mental health decline, comparison issues and addiction.
Roblox: Is a proximity chat where one can chat with people nearby and exchange currency for more Roblox, which can be used as a means to entice children.
Discord: Can be used to connect to other devices to communicate and chat with others.
4chan: Utilizes feeds that can send files for people to use.
Ryan Montgomery, an ex-hacker, turned his life around and began to look for sex-related dangers. In an interview with Shawn Ryan he said, “Anywhere a child can talk to a human, they are not safe.” In the YouTube clip between Montgomery and Ryan, within seconds, a 47-yearold child predator was found on a teen chat.
The number one issue with students, particularly teens today, is sexting.
Anyone under the age of 18 in the United States sexting, or sending nude pictures, is considered child pornography and is a federal crime.
If a parent, teacher or staff member at a school finds it, report it. The person who finds it can’t get into trouble when it is reported.
A rule of thumb is to delete it if it is your own child but if it is someone else’s child report it.
And when it comes to producers of AI, they have rules with not allowing AI to manipulate or distort images.
Prosecutors can’t charge a “character,” when they can’t prove it to be a real person. Some schools in the state of Ohio educate K-6 students on sexual abuse prevention and older students on dating abuse prevention.
There are many dangers in disguise today, and much more to be mentioned, or things to look out for, such as drugs, and the dark web, but for students their big focus is on connection. They often find connection through their phones or other devices used for communication.
Now is the time to teach students how to engage with it and to look for hidden dangers so that the consequences for these hidden dangers can be prevented.
For more information check out these sources.
•fosi.org
•missingkids.org/netsmartz
•activeresponseusa.com
•The Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma”
•The Shawn Ryan show on Youtube, with Ryan Montgomery, episode #56. ✲
