Google, Sen. Lankford Help Piedmont Students Learn Online Safety

Teenagers tend to overshare on social media these days, so employees from Google are touring the state to pass along safety tips.

They even recruited the help of U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma to get the message across.

Google took its Online Safety Roadshow to Piedmont Middle School on Wednesday to teach 7th and 8th grade students that whatever they post online can live online forever, even if they tried to delete it.

The students are taught, “You are what you share.”

“Just about internet safety and how to use it and how to do it, so they just want us to be safe,” said Mary Kate Pauley, a Piedmont 7th Grader.

Google's Online Safety Roadshow tells kids how to stay safe and secure online. Young people do not realize their online life and their offline life impact each other.

“Oftentimes with this age group they don't realize that what they post can actually impact when they are trying to get summer job or maybe go to college or later down the road in their career path,” said Google spokesperson Jamie Hill.

The program was created using input from principals and child safety groups. U.S. Senator James Lankford participated in the assembly and said parents need to know what their kids are doing online.

“You're not snooping, you're helping guard your kids and making sure they are making good decisions,” said U.S. Senator James Lankford, (R) Oklahoma.  “Not every kid at 13 makes good decisions,” the father of two added.

Students learned these tips:

Think before you share: Anything you post can be forwarded, copied and found

“Not everyone online is your friend and that's a key thing for kids to know that when you share all this information, some of that information can be used against you,” Senator Lankford told News 9.

Protect your stuff: Set strong passwords and have different ones for every site

Google said one in three teens has shared their password with someone.

Know and use your settings: 15 percent of Americans have never checked their social media settings

Avoid scams: Don't trust strangers or unknown sites

Be kind online: No bullying

“They don't realize that a really fast, quick click can actually impact someone's day, week or life,” said Hill.

For more information on the content in Google’s Online Safety Roadshow.