Parents Evening “Our Kids Online”

Wed June 12th, 6.30pm-8.30pm – Wellington College AGC

Kia ora, e te whānau

We want our schools and our community to be safe places for all children. Our tamariki are growing up in rapidly changing times, and the risk, frequency and severity of online harm are increasing. We need to tackle this as a community.

As such, our Kāhui Ako, as part of our ongoing series of Parent Information evenings, has organised filmmaker, author and speaker Rob Cope, producer of the documentary “Our Kids Online,” to come and give what promises to be a humorous but confronting talk for our parent community across all nine schools of our Kāhui Ako.

His talk will cover:

• Cyberbullying – How bullies can reach our kids 24/7

• Social media – How social media is affecting the mental health in 3 out of 5 children. FOMO, depression, anxiety

• Gaming and the developing brain – An oversupply of dopamine leading to dopamine deficiency, synaptic pruning, and the underdevelopment of social skills and empathy

• Naked Selfies – The pressure to send nudes from intermediate up through high school

• Online predators – The methods they use, how to spot them

• Online porn vs healthy sexuality – How consuming online pornography as a child or teen can create a sexual template where violence, aggression, and dominance are seen as normal, and consent can become very blurry

He will also talk about solutions

• Filters – Which filters are best and how to install them

• Smartphones – How to lock down a smartphone to make it a safe phone

• Boundaries – How to put good boundaries in place around device use

• 3 golden rules – The 3 golden rules that will keep your kids safe

• Talking to your kids – How to have difficult conversations with your kids

• Challenging our own phone and device usage – Reconnecting as a family

Here is a promotional video for you to watch Our Kids Online Parent Evening and the flyer for the event.

The talk will be held in the Wellington College Alan Gibbs Centre on Wednesday 12th June, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Light snacks will be available. Please note this talk is for adults only and is not suitable for children or teens to attend.

We highly recommend that at least one adult from each family attend, and hope you are able to prioritise this within your busy lives. This topic is too big for us not to pay attention.

We have now reached the point where it is irresponsible of us as parents, teachers, health professionals, and policymakers to continue to put these devices, which are designed to elicit addictive-like qualities, in our kids’ hands and then expect them to be accountable for their own wellbeing.

University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, July 2023

Included in your ticket is a one-year complimentary subscription to “The Big Reconnect” from Rob and team at Our Kids Online. This is a cybersafety parenting course, designed specifically for NZ families. It usually costs $99 per family. So show up and get it for free! Course details can be found here: https://our-kids-online.teachable.com/p/the-big-reconnect-for-parents

Please sign up here to RSVP

Tickets are $10 per whānau to help cover costs. Please note the bank account for ticket sales as it is different from the WGC account number 

All attendees will receive a complimentary subscription to “The Big Reconnect.”

(But there is also an option not to pay if this will create a barrier for your family. Please come anyway!)

“We need to tackle this as a community so that all of our kids are safe. When I protect my kids online, I also protect yours, so please, please protect your kids online so that you are also protecting mine.” Rob Cope

Ngā manaakitanga

Julia Davidson