40 - Guest Expert: Deputy David Gomez, School Resource Officer - The Risks Associated with Technology and Social Media

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host
 Anna, teen co-host
 Officer David Gomez, School Resource Officer

Listen up PARENTS and TEENS, Tara and Anna are super excited to welcome Officer David Gomez,  a school resource officer from Idaho City, ID. Tara has been following Officer Gomez on social media for a while now and she loves all of the great work he is doing providing tons of resources and tips about topics that impact teens, including the dangers of online behavior. Today their topic of discussion with him is all about "The Risks Associated with Technology and Social Media".

 Officer Gomez  starts out telling us what a school resource officer does and what issues take up a majority of his time? He says he would call himself a community caretaker, a fully uniformed officer at the school and is onsite for any type of problem that arises. He helps the staff through any crisis on campus; dealing with online predators, to drugs and alcohol, to a stranger in the parking lot. His main job is to build relationships with the students understand what law enforcement does and how they do not have to be a fear to be in contact with them, no matter what setting.

Tune in to hear some startling information and great tips about:

The millions of adult predators that are out to do harm to teens online and are  "group grooming" kids as soon as they get a phone or go online.  Starting out possibly with Roblox  for the younger ones and TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram in teenage years.

As they get older craving more validation, they have learned how to get it....they are learning that showing more skin, talking provocatively, sending out nude photos gets them lots of attention and likes...social media is now telling them what they are worth, their value is in their body parts are. 

To attract young boys predators use porn and for young girls, they know these girls want to seem more mature, so they use tactics to manipulate them.

How Deputy Gomez is getting tons of calls now from therapists because the kids they are working with have screen time addiction. 

What to do to replace online screen time most effectively with kids.

In her practice, the behaviors Tara sees most is preteens & teens sending & receiving images of naked teens. It seems that this isn't necessarily viewed as a shameful or embarrassing thing to happen anymore---there is a sense of inevitably to it. What LAWS are related to sending/receiving sexts with naked pictures of minors?

 How can parents discourage their kids from becoming an online bully? 

What types of responses do you get from parents when they've been informed that their kids have been caught bullying peers online?

With all of the information out there, what can parents can do OR features they should use to keep their kids safe and healthy?

To learn more about Deputy Gomez, check out his Facebook page, HERE.

To learn more about Dr. Egan's online mini-course called "Managing Your Family's Technology and Social Media", created to help parents eliminate power struggles, keep your family safe from internet misuse, and reconnect with your family, go HERE.


 To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's child & adolescent therapy services, visit HERE.
To join our private FB group for parents of high schoolers and soon-to-be high schoolers, visit HERE.
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This episode was edited by Laura Bauder from PodcastHERS