John Parsons taught our class about lots of important stuff! A big lesson we remember is about the IPS—the Internet Service Provider. He told us that texts are forever! Even if you delete a message, it can still be seen by the Internet Service Providers because they keep a permanent history of everything. This means we have to be really careful what we type to someone! If someone is making fun of you or sends a hurtful message, never type back because two wrongs don’t make a right. Some words can even trigger the police to come and ask questions.
John talked a lot about staying safe and having a screen-free childhood. He told us we should stay away from social media and smartphones until we are 16. That's because our brain needs time to develop enough to handle all the stuff you see on social media. We also learned about keeping screens away from our faces. Your screen should not be as close as your elbow to your eyes, otherwise, it will affect your eyesight. Some people think that over half the population will need glasses by 2050 because they’ve been on screens too much! He also said we shouldn’t play R18 games because the game or show will think we are 18, and then bad things could pop up. Don't ruin your childhood by going on pixelated screens; they are not real in a game.
A very memorable lesson was about listening to your gut. If you have a weird feeling in your tummy, that’s called "butterflies," and that’s not good! Always listen to your gut, because if you don’t, your brain gets used to that butterfly feeling and forgets what to do when something bad happens, and that's terrible! If you have that weird feeling, stop and walk away from that person. You should tell someone if you feel that way and don't feel embarrassed. John Parsons also told us that people have masks. When you first meet someone, they may be nice, but over time, they reveal their true self, and what they show is what they really are.
When you take photos, don’t film in your bedroom, bathroom, or in pyjamas, and always have an adult in your photos.
Our kura has learnt so many things, and that’s all thanks to John!
We are grateful for the funding support from Rotary Invercargill to make John's visits possible.
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