As senior pupils are now finishing their exams and are no longer at school, there is more time for social interactions, which often include the internet.
Working in town recently, we spent most of a shift looking for a missing 13-year-old who managed to evade her father after telling him she was going for a walk from a social venue.
As we searched tirelessly, the girl was Facebook messaging her friends to meet up, so while at least we knew she was safe, a lot of time and resources were spent on trying to locate her. I am aware of two similar incidents in Mosgiel recently.
Police take every report of a missing person seriously and immediately begin making inquiries to locate that person.
The circumstances behind why teens choose to evade their parents vary, but we are seeing this quite often and we need parents to discuss with them how dangerous this behaviour is.
We'd appreciate if parents could take the time to express to their children that acting this way not only puts their safety at risk, but is stressful for their family and friends, and uses a lot of police resources to look for them.
I also encourage parents to have a conversation with their children around online safety and the risks of social media. Some great advice can be found on the police website or netsafe.org.nz.
I am aware of an event called''Stop-Talk-Listen'' in Mosgiel at 7pm in March next year.
The event is aimed at teaching parents, grandparents and caregivers about the impact of technology on teenagers and offering support, advice and information around this. I encourage you to head along. There will be keynote speakers and it is supported by Taieri College.
Being a parent myself, I am only too aware of the challenges the internet and social media present us with today. But I encourage you to be proactive about this issue and try to prevent any issues from occurring where possible.
Food for thought. Have a good week everyone.
-By Karren Bye
