It’s never too early to start communicating with your children about what they're doing and seeing on the Internet — an important move that could protect them from predators down the road.
That was the key message, as Internet safety was on the agenda at Brookville Pubic School's Health and Wellness Night Thursday.
The second annual event gave students and their parents the opportunity to learn from fellow parent Cliff Ford about ways to protect their kids online.
The Toronto father became somewhat of an undercover detective last year after discovering a man was targeting his 12-year-old daughter online. The man, who was actually 36, portrayed himself as a 19-year-old and tried to build a relationship with Ford's daughter, asking her to send him inappropriate content.
"I just never thought this kind of thing would happen," he said.
After coming across a message the man sent encouraging his daughter into a chat room, Ford spent the next three days impersonating her in the chat room and was able to find out the man's name, where he lived and worked.
He promptly turned the information over to police, who arrested the man and several others who were part of an international child pornography ring.
"It was very disturbing for me, dealing with the horror of what my daughter was exposed to," he said. "But we talked about it as a family and were able to grow and learn from each other."
Despite what happened, Ford is encouraging other parents to not be fearful of the online world and instead implement safety protocols.
"We had rules in our house about Internet content, and while we didn't know at the time, this is what ultimately protected my daughter from this guy," he said.
For those with young children, he suggested building the lines of communication now regarding what they're seeing on the Internet — a move he says will pay off when they're older and more at risk online.
Having computers located in a common area of the home is also important, along with using privacy settings on social media sites and safe search functions on websites like Google. "The Internet offers so many benefits for kids. We want to take the good and protect them from the bad."
Elsewhere at the well-attended event were displays created by the school's students on topics such as healthy eating, genetically-modified foods, mental health and the benefits of buying local. Area businesses that offer products or services contributing to holistic health were also on hand.
Rounding out the evening were activities like obstacle courses and meditation.
"This night is a way to promote health and well-being for students and their families, and connect them to services and supports in the local community," said Brookville Public School principal Laura DiMatteo.
Demonstrating the arts' role in mental health were grade 8 students Alex Watts and Olivia Schofield, who played musical instruments in the hallway for those passing by.
"Music releases stress and hormones that make you happy," said Schofield.
Added Watts, "Visual arts, music, drama and dance are all good for your mental health."
Alvaro Venturelli of Plan B Organics ¬— a farm in nearby Flamborough — was on hand to discuss the benefits of eating organic and the intricacies of organic farming.
He said on his family farm they make their own fertilizers and insecticides, with the latter being derived from wild plants such as milkweed and elderberry.
"These products are not toxic to birds or bees. We make sure the farm is a healthy place for them to live," he said.
As farms in southern Ontario struggle in the face of development and money spent on food continues to leave the community, Venturelli said there needs to be more of an emphasis on buying from local farmers. "Literally if we shop local all the money stays here and it cycles around and around."
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