Silent guardians
Monday, September 2, 2024
*Anthony Pittelli
We don’t get out much, but we’re here and we wanted to say hello. Greetings from the Safe Environment Office of the Archdiocese of Miami!
As “back to school” is in full swing, so is the workload at the Safe Environment Office. On a weekly basis, we process hundreds of fingerprints and background check results and respond to dozens of calls and emails. We also activate and reactivate Virtus online accounts, among many other tasks. It’s hard work, but it’s all for a noble reason.
Protecting children and vulnerable adults is of utmost priority for the Archdiocese of Miami. As such, the Office of Safe Environment is one of “the silent guardians” of one of our most precious treasures here at the archdiocese: Our Children.
Part of keeping children safe nowadays lies in the supervision of their online activities. As parents, it is our responsibility to be the front line in monitoring our children’s use of the seemingly infinite number of online platforms and apps available to them.
Most of our children have smartphones and just about all of them have access to computers. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say they are all online one way or another.
It doesn’t take much for online activity to become, for lack of better term, dark, as people dive deeper into the rabbit holes that are internet searches and social media timelines (or reels). Children are merely a few clicks (or swipes) away, at any given time, from tapping into content that can range anywhere from slightly inappropriate, to grotesque, depraved, and, in some cases, criminal.
It’s a good idea to become familiar with the apps, games, and social media platforms that are popular with today’s youth. The “freer” the platform, the more likely our children can access content that may cause them immeasurable harm and stress. Repetitive exposure to harmful content can cause well documented long-term trauma.
Children can also (whether accidentally, under coercion, or worse, intentionally) produce harmful or inappropriate content. We see this all the time with fight videos, for example. Talk to your children. Remind them of the consequences of uploading and/or sharing this type of harmful content. Discourage it altogether. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR ANYONE.
We need to remind our children that while nothing on earth lasts forever, what goes online can last a lifetime. With steadfast supervision, and with a good Catholic sense of right and wrong, we can guide our children to appropriate use of all these technologies of our time.
Through our spiritual foundation, we can set the parameters for what should and shouldn’t be posted, shared, or viewed. Through parental or guardian rights, we can limit or outright ban our children from some of these platforms, should circumstances dictate such strict action.
We must also be attentive to WHO our children are communicating with. This is an enormous step towards protecting them from the predators that lurk on these platforms. DON’T BE TOO DISTRACTED! Establish limits on who they communicate with and what information they share.
May God bless us all with the desire to seek content that enhances our lives and the lives of our children. Educationally and spiritually.
Wishing all our families a safe and fruitful school year.
Yours in Christ,
Anthony Pittelli
