Community Parents Event
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The Dark Side of Digital Technology:
The Internet, Cell Phones & Social Media
Our presenter was WI Dept of Justice Special Agent Eric Szatkowski
- specialist in internet crimes & prevention. Agent Szatkowski
presents around the country and shared his message here five years
ago - since that time internet crime and the dangers of social
media have multiplied.
Click to find Agent Szatkowski's
recommended websites. This listing offers sites that can
help parents keep kids safe from inappropriate digital exposure and
activity. |
About our Presenter - Eric Szatkowski
The Internet, cell phones and social media offer a
world of educational and entertainment options for kids and
adults. Unfortunately, all of this technology can also place
our kids at risk from predators, bullies, and a sexualized culture.
For people of faith, it can also undermine the work of raising kids
with Christian values. How do we teach our kids to use
digital technology and keep them safe from its dark
side?
Eric combines decades of law enforcement experience,
fatherhood, and a lifetime of Catholic values to provide
answers. He has been a Special Agent with the Wisconsin
Department of Justice/ Division of Criminal Investigation for 20
years. In 1999, Eric joined the state's task force to fight
the online exploitation of children, becoming an expert in his
field. His law enforcement experience also includes
undercover murder-for-hire, cold-case homicides, fugitive
apprehension, and narcotics enforcement.
Eric has earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading
officers in apprehending sexual predators of children who use the
Internet and/or cell phones to exploit children. He has been
responsible for the arrest of more than 150 offenders from
Wisconsin and around the nation, nearly half of whom traveled
various distances to have sex with what they believed to be an
underage boy or girl. Eric's arrests also include those who
sexually assault children, distribute, possess, and/or manufacture
child pornography, and expose children to harmful
materials.
Eric's dynamic presentations on Internet/cell phone
exploitation have been seen by more than 200,000 people in
Wisconsin and the nation. Audiences include parents, PTA's,
parishes, parochial/public/private middle school and high school
students, teachers, guidance counselors, police officers,
prosecutors, child welfare advocates, correctional and social
workers, civic and religious groups, doctors and business
professionals.
He has appeared on the Tyra Banks Show in Los Angeles, CNN
Tonight with Connie Chung in New York City, and "Living Our Faith"
with Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan (now Archbishop of New
York). He has also been interviewed on the Drew Mariani Show
on Relevant Radio, and on American Family Radio. He has
presented to the Sacramento Catholic Forum, the staff of EWTN, and
the Milwaukee Chapter of Catholics United for the Faith. He has
been interviewed by countless newspapers, radio and television
stations in media markets of all sizes. Television news
stations have won and/or been nominated for journalism awards for
stories in which he was a significant contributor.
Eric's presentations inspired the drafting and passage of
new legislation in Wisconsin in 2006, Assembly Bill 942. This
law significantly increased the levels of felonies for online child
exploitation, increased maximum prison penalties, and implemented
presumptive minimum prison terms for online predators. Eric
has testified in court as an expert in the online exploitation of
children, and has provided assistance to dozens of law enforcement
agencies in this area of police work.
His work has been recognized by the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, the United States Attorney's Office
for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin
Association of Homicide Investigators. Cases in Eric's career
have been featured in Cold Case Files, People Magazine, and MSNBC
Investigates. Before his work in law enforcement, Eric spent
seven years in broadcast journalism. He was a news reporter,
anchor and producer, working at TV stations in Milwaukee, Oklahoma
City, and Madison. He graduated with honors in 1983 from the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a bachelor's degree in mass
communication. He is currently working on a Masters Degree in
Christian Doctrine at Marquette University.
Eric's most popular program, "The Dark Side of Digital
Technology: the Internet, Cell Phones, and Social Media," includes
real-life examples and practical advice for anyone concerned about
the well-being of kids. Topics include techniques used by
predators, cyber bullying, kids that are most vulnerable, warning
signs, and the importance of filters and monitoring software. Also
covered are the risks of social networking sites like Facebook and
My Space; cell phone exploitation and sexting; web cameras; online
gaming; the proliferation of pornography, and an eye-opening live
demonstration of what takes place in a chat room, and current
trends that are harmful to kids, including Chat
Roulette.
His other popular and inspiring programs include
age-appropriate talks for middle and high school students, options
for students and parents to attend together, and for teacher
in-service training.
Eric gives the audience unique insight from his other roles
as a husband and father of two kids who grew up online.
Parents will be motivated to protect their kids, speak openly to
them, and overcome pressure to be "best friends" instead of
parents.
Bio from CMG Booking