Social media issues of largest concern for resource officer at Crescent Heights

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on December 2, 2022.

reporter@medicinehatnews.com

MHPS Const. Brent Bohrn, a 19-year veteran who became the resource officer at Crescent Heights High School this school year, shared a specific presentation at the Medicine Hat Public School Division board meeting on Tuesday.

The presentation Bohrn used was one he normally gives to Grades 7-9, with a revised version used for Grades 4-6, and deals with the No. 1 issue he faces on a day-to-day basis.

He says 95% of the concerns he deals with are regarding social media, with the bulk having to do with the sending or receiving of intimate images.

Presently, the two apps causing the most concern are Snapchat and TikTok. Once a message or image has been sent it becomes public, permanent, searchable, copyable and exploitable, Bohrn stressed. Even if one believes they are sending a private message, it can be forwarded onto many others.

Bohrn urges all students to not ask for, or send intimate images of any kind. The police do their best to protect victims, he says, but they are now seeing children as young as Grade 6 sending intimate images.

Even when a student believes they are sharing with someone they trust, relationships can break down, and those images might then be shared with others. Another concern is chat rooms where a student thinks they are communicating with someone their own age, but it could be a predator in disguise.

One red flag, explained Bohrn, is when the person asks to move from one platform to another. The second is when they request an intimate image. Even if they send one of themselves, this is usually something off the internet. Once the student sends an image, the exploitation begins. The trend is to exploit boys for money and girls for more images. Once the image has been sent, it will usually be shared with other predators.

The board asked for input from the three student trustees present at the meeting and heard that most students use multiple apps, and the sending of intimate or pornographic images was quite common.

Bohrn’s advice for parents is to be aware of what your kids are doing online and what apps they are using. Open communication is key, letting them know you want to check their phone not because you don’t trust them but are concerned about who they might be communicating with.

In closing the presentation, Bohrn advises students to be a respectful digital citizen and to not post anything on social media they wouldn’t say in person.

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