Re-Thinking our Children's Relationships with Smartphones & Social Media with guest speaker, Noam Samet, a Burnaby School District Safe School Specialist
The use of smartphone technology has altered communication between teens and pre-teens drastically. Tools that make it possible to communicate with others instantly, share photos and videos, and engage in conversation with others creates opportunities for misunderstanding, miscommunication and mischief. It should not surprise us that our children are getting themselves into various conflicts and sometimes even serious trouble online.
Common workshop/presentations on the topic of ‘Safe Internet’ use for children have focused on the unsafe nature of the internet itself and on strategies to keep our kids safe online. The reality is that the vast majority of issues teens and pre-teens come across have more to do with how they interact with various platforms and peers online. Our focus will be on identifying these issues, determining why they keep arising, and what we can do about them. Our goal should be to limit the harm our children experience while limiting the harm our children may cause others.
About the Speaker
Noam Samet (BA in Criminology) has been a Safe Schools Specialist on the Burnaby School District’s Safe and Caring Schools Team since 2010. Prior to this, he worked in the social services field starting in 1997, gaining experience in a variety of custodial, educational, and community settings. As a front-line Youth Worker in various Lower Mainland municipalities, Noam worked creatively with vulnerable and high-risk youth, aiming to meet their needs while balancing the goals of their families and various community stakeholders. As the manager of an integrated youth services team for five years in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows, Noam’s front-line experience was invaluable in training and supervising field workers and in establishing effective, efficient working relationships with the Ministry for Children and Family Development (MCFD), School District 42, and various other community agencies.
