MOULTRIE, Ga. — Social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook allow children to explore and express themselves, but they can also be a gateway for the malice that stems from them, leading to bullying.

School Resource Officer Lt. David Kent acknowledges that bullying is unfortunately not going to disappear any time soon, but he wants to see a decrease in the amount of bullying that happens in the schools.

“I think a lot of what we deal with on the bullying side and even the conflicts, come from something that started with social media,” Kent said. “We see a lot on Snapchat and Instagram.”

“Children have social media and it’s a significant amount that have it,” Kent said. “And unfortunately, a lot the time, kids aren’t groomed enough or old enough to have these accounts and don’t use them the way they are meant to be used.”

Kent said predators and cyberbullying are the biggest issues school children deal with.

“It’s real easy for someone to be tough and say things when they’re not face to face with someone,” Kent said. “What they don’t realize is that if they post something online, it never goes away and it’s there for the whole world to see.”

Kent expressed concern with how social media can affect conflict between students.

“It’s hard to keep that conflict between two individuals when other kids can see it on social media,” Kent said. “And it just makes it worse, because their so-called friends could possibly be egging them on.”

Kent offers four pieces of advice to students to try to minimize being the victim of a bully or predator:

    •    If a student is going to have any social media sites, ensure that their accounts have the highest level of security settings possible.

    •    Accept and add friend requests only from known friends and family members.

    •    Think before you post; once something is posted on the Internet, it stays there, even after deleting content.

    •    Think about the legal consequences a student or parent can face once something has been posted.

In addition, Kent also advises parents to:

    •    Limit social media use and access times for kids.

    •    Monitor their use when they are online; don’t let kids have unlimited access to the Internet.

    •    Encourage kids to be active, play outside and interact in activities with other children.

    •    Know the child’s login information for all accounts, whether it be for school use or social media, and to log in frequently, ensuring login information is accurate.

Kent said he wants the kids to reach out to a teacher, administrator or to come to him if they are experiencing an issue with bullying.