WHHS Positive Digital Imprint Seminar designed to educate

Social media has opened up a whole new world to today’s young people, and with that ability to share their lives with one another in new ways comes a host of new responsibilities and dangers.

Bullying, threatening and harassment have evolved from social media, along with the sharing of illicit photographs that have landed many teens in hot water.

As a way to promote smarter, more sensible social media responsibility to its students, West Holmes High School presented a Positive Digital Imprint Seminar with all of its students on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

“In an era where the digital landscape is an integral part of our lives, we must equip ourselves with the means to navigate this space responsibly and with kindness,” West Holmes High School Principal Scott Pringle said to the students. “This event is helping us promote a safe and respectful environment within our school community.”

The trio of speakers included Julie Dreher, magistrate in the Holmes County Juvenile Court; Matthew Muzik, Holmes County prosecutor; and Rachel Cornell, probation officer with the Holmes County Juvenile Court, and they touched on topics including bullying, harassment, disrespect and building a positive online presence. Helping students better understand the consequences of their actions was a top priority for the trio, who have plenty of experience dealing with teens who have come through the juvenile system from problems via social media.

The three presenters did loads of research and put in many hours preparing to share the message they presented, and Muzik said they all believe this is such a critical topic that it was well worth the time they spent preparing the message.

“The whole reason we are here is not to jam people up and get them in trouble, but to protect them and provide a warning to what can happen when they make poor decisions,” Muzik said. “We don’t want to see people dealing with the consequences and hurting because of poor decisions they made. I hope this shows the people here at school and in our community how important this topic is.”

Whether it is disseminating inappropriate photographs on Snapchat, bullying a schoolmate via social media outlets or any number of ways teens can find trouble through social media, the message was there are consequences to every action, and there are no excuses.

“It doesn’t matter if everyone else is doing it,” Muzik said. “It doesn’t matter if the world tells you to do it or your boyfriend tells you he’ll never share a picture with anyone else. It is illegal, and making the excuse ‘I didn’t know it was illegal’ doesn’t make it OK. Just don’t do it, because whether you know it or not, these images and statements will last forever, and even on Snapchat, where you think the image is gone forever, law enforcement can retrieve it. This is their reputation at stake, and we can be hurtful or be kind and responsible in how we use technology.”

He said the court system continues to see these types of situations here in Holmes County, and the consequences can have ill effects for a lifetime.

Muzik said when issues arise that teens become aware of, they need to share it with a trusted adult or teacher, and there are hotlines teens can call such as 988 or text the keyword “4hope” to 741 741.

While educating the students on the dangers and consequences of bad social media motives was paramount, the trio also discussed what good behavior on social media looks like, showcasing positive posts from media stars and talking about building a positive personal online resume that would enhance their chances when seeking employment or trying to get into college.

“It’s very important to share both sides of the coin to how we should and shouldn’t behave on social media,” Dreher said. “I think that positive behavior should be recognized and rewarded, and it’s exciting to see that the school believes it is an important message. We are all saddened when we see kids coming into court who have made mistakes with charges related to these issues. We would much rather be proactive in teaching kids these important topics on how to do the right thing.”

“We care about these kids,” Muzik said. “They are part of our community, and we are all here together.”

“This is about creating a safe and respectful online and school environment,” Pringle said. “Both positive and negative things can take place on social media, and it plays a pivotal role for these young people. We as a school district are trying to create more conversations and partnerships to share this message.”

Pringle said they are hoping for further student involvement in promoting positive messages like creating a leadership class designed to help teens promote positive messages within the schools.

The program served as a follow-up to the school’s recent Digital Citizenship Week and Bully Prevention Month, and Pringle said helping students gain insight to help them wade through the many dangers and pitfalls of social media is something that is incredibly important in today’s world.