The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), in partnership with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, has unveiled a new initiative to help protect Pinellas children from cybercrimes and human trafficking.
At a Monday media event held at the Sheriff’s Administration Building in Largo, JWB interim CEO Michael Mikurak announced that Pinellas parents, grandparents, caregivers and concerned citizens will now be able to receive a complimentary annual subscription to Parent ProTech. The platform offers tools to give adults a better understanding of modern technologies and how to help their children navigate them.
These include videos and guides on topics including parental controls, social media and artificial intelligence. Additionally, the platform is overseen by experts who are actively studying developing digital trends, Mikurak said.
To exemplify, Parent ProTech chief financial officer Ashby Green discussed how young people frequently use artificial intelligence chatbots for companionship. However, these bots have been instructing children to harm themselves or hide things from their parents.
Parent ProTech has recently added new safety content to its platform to assist with these types of situations, he explained.
Mikurak called the initiative “timely,” as the holidays are approaching. This means students will have more time to engage with their electronic devices during break.
“Technology has reshaped the lives of children. Devices are central to their learning and social activities. But, it brings significant challenges,” he explained. “When JWB was created 80 years ago, stranger danger meant someone in a van offering candy to lure children away. Today, cyberbullies, human traffickers and online predators can enter homes 24/7 through a child’s phone, computer or gaming system.”
According to JWB, research has shown that there is a “strong” link between online harassment and youth suicide. Suicide rates for individuals between the ages of 10 to 14 have increased 95% between 2000 and 2018.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri added that it’s important that caregivers “do their part” and ensure that the children they are responsible for do not do anything “detrimental” with modern technologies.
“These kids are vulnerable, especially the young ones,” he said. “A lot of them don’t even know what they’re getting into until they get into it and then they find out that they are in deep trouble.”
In Pinellas County alone, 1,800 sexual offenders and predators are monitored by the Sheriff’s Office every day. These individuals often reoffend.
“Parents need to be educated about this. They really don’t know what they don’t know about what’s going on in this environment,” Gualtieri explained. “So, something like Parent ProTech is going to give the parents the tools to do their job to help us help them.”
Pinellas County Schools superintendent Kevin Hendrick also spoke at the event and stressed that the platform is a way to encourage healthy discussions about technology.
“While Pinellas County Schools provides a comprehensive digital responsibility curriculum to our children, we recognize that there are not a lot of resources for parents and that’s where Parent ProTech steps in,” he said. “We look forward to sharing these essential components, the knowledge and tools, to give parents the opportunity to help educate at home just as we educate at school.”
To create a free Parent ProTech account, visit this link.
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