North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein poses with part of his audience after talking to sixth graders about internet safety at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School on Wednesday.

North Carolina’s attorney general brought a message of internet safety to LCPS sixth graders on Wednesday and urged them to take those tips home to their families.

Josh Stein told the middle schoolers at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School that safe use of the internet required the same kind of care and common sense that young people should use in the physical world. Those measures form the four-point Family Tech Agreement that Stein is promoting through his office.

Those key points are:

• Don’t talk to strangers online.

• Be careful about the information shared online.

• Communicate with family and stay safe.

• Find a balance with screen time.

“I want you to use this opportunity to talk with your parents,” Stein said. “Educate your parents. We didn’t have the internet when I was a kid. We didn’t have cell phones when I was a kid. And your parents don’t know as much as you do. Having a conversation with them about these ideas will help you have a better relationship with them and help them keep you safe.”

The students received the Family Tech Agreement on a postcard-sized handout, with a place for them to sign and for their parent/guardian to sign. (A more detailed version of this family contact can be found at www.ncdoj.gov/internet-safety)

Following those tips means young people recognize the pitfalls of careless internet use and the place of parents and other trusted adults in helping them steer clear of trouble.

“If things happen on the internet that you don’t feel right about – if you don’t feel safe, if you’re confused, or if you’re sad, if you’re at all scared – talk to an adult in your life,” Stein said. “It could be one of your teachers, your principal, your guidance counselor, obviously your parents – any adult you trust. Talk to them. It’s not always easy to have those conversations, but it’s a way to handle whatever it is you’re going through.”