It was touted as a “must-see” presentation, and the parents gathered at Monsignor J.E. Ronan Catholic School in Beeton on Saturday, March 30, 2019 to hear Paul Davis’s presentation about social media and online safety, would undoubtedly agree.

Paul Davis is a renowned social media technology expert, with over 27 years of experience in the information technology industry. He has presented to more than half a million parents and students over six years, and to various organizations and employers.

His presentation to the parents and students at Monsignor J.E. Ronan Catholic School on Saturday was riveting, and at times very sobering.

Paul’s two hour presentation covered everything from responsible use of technology and understanding the social media apps that we all use, to tips about how to be safer online. He also discussed the dark realities of spending time online, and the inherent risks, touching on the topic of human trafficking, hashtag hijacking and sexting.

Paul had some strong messages for parents, and one of the most important was encouraging them to put their own phones away and focus more on their kids. He suggested some simple rules that all families should adopt:

- Get technology out of the bedrooms, and be screen free for 30-60 minutes before bedtime (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have the same rule!)
- Keep mealtimes device-free
- Respect that thirteen is the age that children are allowed to have Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat accounts - this is the age restriction for a good reason.
- If kids are using Snapchat, make sure that the Snapmap feature is disabled. For all social media apps, make sure that they never take and send pictures of their bodies, and that they know all of their contacts personally.

Saturday’s presentation certainly lived up to expectations, and many parents left the school armed with new resolve, facts and tips to implement right away to be safer online, both for their kids and themselves.