Police Tackle Cyberbullying, Digital Safety At Morristown High School

MORRISTOWN, NJ — With technology becoming more prevalent in the daily lives of young children and teenagers, learning internet safety rules as well as anti-harassment lessons has become all the more important.

To round out the year, Morris County Prosecutor's Office Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Samantha DeNegri and Sergeant Patrick LaGuerre visited Morristown High School and gave a presentation about bias, cyber harassment and making wise social media choices.

The MCPO gives presentations at schools throughout Morris County on a regular basis to teach local youth how to use good judgment when interacting with others online or in school.

"In an age of oversaturated digital communication, the MCPO uses face-to-face visits to make a genuine connection with our students. We want our young people to make smart choices about how they interact online and in person," Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said.

The presenters emphasized the importance of using good judgment when interacting with others or posting on social media, warning high school students that their online behavior could affect their future.

Nowadays, social media and technology document everything.

According to SAP DeNegri, taking or sharing explicit photos can have legal ramifications and unintended consequences even years later, and are frequently viewed by people other than the intended recipients.

Even if a device is destroyed, the images can still be accessed, and MCPO will not hesitate to prosecute those who maliciously share such material, DeNegri added.

The presentation also distinguished between bias crimes and bias incidents, warning students that their school administrators could choose to take disciplinary action even if the incident was not criminal in nature.

With a generation of youth using electronic means of communication and creating content online, parents must have open communication with their children about content sharing, including the importance of exercising good judgment when interacting with others online.

County officials advise parents to have age-appropriate conversations with their children as soon as they give their child access to any technological device, as both boys and girls engage in potentially dangerous behaviors.

"The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office shares an absolute commitment to help our students understand the long-term damage that can result from these behaviors, as well as identifying strategies to resist such actions," Carroll said.