County Expert Addresses Cyber Safety, Bullying in Valley View

Jane Addams Middle School students, many of whom expressed pride in having large numbers of social media friends, learned Thursday they need to be more cautious about who they communicate with.

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“You cannot possibly know who you are dealing with all the time,” said David Margliano, the Chief Investigator for the Will County State’s Attorney’s office. “You do not know everyone on your list. You do not know everyone who you chat with on-line.”

Margliano, who visited with Jane Addams students throughout the day, discussed a variety of topics, driving home each topic with specific incidents that happened to actual students.

Regarding bullying, he firmly said “if you know someone is being bullied, you need to report that,” adding that bullying has changed to a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week problem because of the internet. “Don’t do something to someone else that you don’t want done to you.”

Sexting, he pointed out, may lead to cyberbullying and a host of other problems. “It’s illegal to take a nude picture and send it out over the internet. I’m going to arrest you. It will ruin your life. Don’t do it.”

As for general use of social media, today’s teens “post way too much information on-line. You make your personal thoughts very public for no reason because you think you trust everyone on your list.”

Margliano advised students never to use a webcam and never send photos to someone they don’t know. He also suggested that inadvisable postings can lead to college entry issues or problems finding a job.

“Anything you post on the internet is there for good even if you delete it,” he said. “Today’s college students and recent college graduates are often finding that in their race to find career opportunities a job opportunity is blocked by a photo or story about drunken parties that they or their friends posted on-line.”

The child exploitation expert suggested teens follow a simple rule: only post things you would be proud to show your grandparents.

“Know what you’re doing when you’re on-line,” he said. “Don’t do something silly.”   

Editor's note: This article is submitted by Valley View School District 365U.