NC Attorney General Josh Stein makes a stop in Asheville, talking tech safety with kids
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein made a stop in the mountains on Tuesday, speaking with students about the importance of online safety.
He visited with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students at Ira B. Jones Elementary School in Asheville to talk about the North Carolina Department of Justice’s tech safety agreement, a new resource to help parents and caregivers keep their kids safe online.
It also helps kids communicate with their parents about what they see online.
“He gave the kids some tips they can follow and encouraged them to go home and talk to their families about it,” said April Dockery, Asheville City Schools executive director of operations. “And just ways to keep them safe and that they know that not everybody out on the internet is kind and with good intentions.”
“On average, 8- to 12-year-olds use screens for more than five and a half hours a day, and 13- to 18-year-olds use screens for more than eight and a half hours a day,” a press release from the Attorney General’s office states.
The agreement is designed to help kids and the adults in their lives spot the warnings signs that could signal something they should beware of.
“Keeping our kids safe wherever they are is job one for parents and our state government – there is nothing more important,” said Attorney General Josh Stein in a press release. “More and more, that’s online. With our students back in school, I hope that parents use this agreement to have important conversations with their children about online safety and responsible screen time. The students I met today are smart, engaged, and inquisitive, and I’m so pleased that they take their online safety seriously.”
Stein said he hopes the state’s tech safety agreement will help children and adults work together to use the internet and social media safely and responsibly.
