Bayport-Blue Point High School students, who are members of the Superintendent’s Council, educated parents on social media applications during recent meetings at the Bayport-Blue Point Public Library and Blue Point Elementary School PTA meeting. The presentation, “The Importance of Knowing What Your Child is Capable of on their Devices,” was not an attempt at telling parents how to parent, but rather to assist parents in determining what to look for on their child’s cellphone and computer when using social media.

“The goal of the presentation is to present parents with ways their children can use apps safely and not have to eliminate social media devices,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Timothy Hearney said during his introduction of the student-presenters.

The students informed parents on how SnapChat, Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter are used and how they can employ settings to make the use of social media safer. They also informed parents about a little-known application called Omegle, which was originally a dating app.

Presenter Willem A. was asked what he would tell younger students about social media. He replied, “I would tell them to trust their parents, because they know what’s best for you.”

Abby H. said she would caution students on what they post on social media. “What you post will always be there, so you can’t act like you didn’t say something [negative],” she said.

The Superintendent’s Council will speak to fifth graders in the next few weeks about social media issues and staying safe.

Date Added: 3/22/23