By Lawton Vallely
For the Opelika Observer
District Attorney Brandon Hughes and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jessica Ventiere held a conference Feb. 22 at the Opelika Justice Center informing parents of the potential dangers posed by children’s phones.
Highlights of the hour-long seminar included discussions on unsafe apps for children, how to access parental controls on iPhones, long-term and short-term repercussions of underage sexual activity such as sexting, and the importance of sexual education in this technological age.
“Look, cell phones are not evil. Apps are not evil. Some apps are not good,” Hughes said. “Some apps were created for nefarious means, but like anything else, the criminal mind is capable of a lot of things, and it doesn’t take them long to figure out how to worm their way in and use apps which are designed for good things to get to your children.”
Both Hughes and Ventiere agree that it is never too early to start educating your kids on the consequences of sex and technology.
“I cannot stress enough that you can actually start the sex talk with your kids as young as two,” Ventiere said. “I am not talking about the dirty details of sexual intercourse. Start with correctly naming the body parts. Stress to your kids that this is your body, and it is private to you.”
The presentation will be held again March 20 at Smiths Station High School beginning at 6 p.m.
Parents looking for more information can visit leecountyda.org/resources or to view the full video of the seminar visit www.facebook.com/leecountydistrictattorney.