News VSHS students hear Internet safety warning from U.S. Attorney's Office

     Despite the nervous laughter from his audience, Peter Deegan said the serious message he came to Vinton Thursday morning deliver was heard.

     “We like our audience to be engaged,” said Deegan, after spending an hour warning Vinton-Shellsburg High School students of the dangers posed by the Internet.

     Deegan sees – and fights – these dangers first-hand at his job as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District in Iowa. Based in Cedar Rapids, Deegan is one of many in that office who have handled internet-based crimes and other crimes against children. He was involved in the James Bentley child pornography case.

     The main message: There is no difference between real life and what you post on the Internet.

    “This is real life,” he said.

    Deegan warned the students about the variety of ways that improper Internet use can harm teenagers: Cyber-bullying. Internet predators who try to befriend younger teens and then talk them into meeting in person to exploit or assault them – or worse. Posting explicit photos or information from your laptop or cell phone.

     “Once you put it on the Internet, you lose control of it. You can never get it back,” he warned.

    Deegan also shared some warning signs to let students know when a “friend” online is become a danger:

     He told them:

    While Internet predators begin engaging a young person online as a friend, they soon do several things to make it easier to exploit them:

    When someone tries to:

• Isolate you from family and friends;
• Turn you against parents or guardian;
• Make you keep everything secret;
• Send inappropriate material or talk about explicit subjects
• Threatens you

     These things, he said, should be reported to a parent or trusted adult.

      VSHS Principal invited Deegan to share his message with the students.

     “What we want you to understand is that this is real,” Johnson told them. The principal said that another thing high school students should keep in mind is that prospective colleges and employers will see what they post on their web pages. Those things could negatively affect those opportunities.

The importance of parental supervision

     After the presentation, Deegan told Vinton Today that there is one more change in    technology that should concern parents: Smart phones.

      “I always tell parents to keep their computer in a central location,” he said.

      But with smart phones, which have Internet access, there is less parental supervision.

     Deegan said a friend of his offers good advice that he will follow when his own children are old enough to have a cell phone.

     “He told me that his kids are allowed to have their own cell phone, but they must check them in with their parents every night.

     “A teenager does not need to have his cell phone at 2 in the morning,” said Deegan.

    These are the basic ways that youngsters can keep themselves safe when using the Internet:

1. Communicating with people you already know in person. Keep your personal information – and passwords private. (Share passwords only with parents, not friends)
2. Not meeting off line someone you only know online
3. Not responding to offensive messages.
4. Choosing gender-neutral, non-revealing and non-suggestive screen names and email addresses.