Walnut Grove residents were given the chance to not only process all the information they received at last week’s community meeting about a registered sex offender moving into town, but use it to protect their children.
That’s why Minnesota Department of Corrections Victim Services Specialist Heather Kollig closed last week’s meeting with a presentation geared toward parents and how to discuss the issue with their children.
Dwayne Swanson, a Level 3 sex offender, relocated to Walnut Grove last week. Because Swanson’s abuse was focused on people who were minors at the time of his offenses, Kollig’s presence took on extra meaning.
“You’ve already taken the biggest step by coming here tonight,” Kollig said at last Wednesday’s meeting. “This information can be hard to hear.”
Swanson was found in possession of Child sexual exploitation material (electronic images) Kollig opened her presentation by discussing digital safety. Since the pandemic, the State has seen an increase in online sexual exploitation, especially with juveniles.
She said parents need to be aware of all apps their kids have on their devices and that their geo location feature is turned off.
“If you take a live photo on your phone and send it to a friend, people have a geo tag of where you were when you took that photo,” Kollig said. “Many social media versions (Snapchat, Instagram) also have some version of this — not super helpful to those of us not wanting people to know where our kids are.”
Swanson said since children are apt to model what they do after their parents, it’s important the adults in their life monitor what their kids are doing on their phones. She recommends avoiding linking profiles — not using the same username for all social media platforms — and conducting privacy checkups.
“Some people get surprised by how much information is really easy to access — are sports rosters available online, can somebody figure out what school your kids go to?” said Kollig, a domestic violence and sexual assault advocate for about a decade. “I don’t want to strike fear in people, but we have to be aware of what’s out there so we can safety-plan around it.”
Parents, Kollig said, need to vigilant in following their child’s social media accounts and researching websites their kids frequently visit. One of the things parents need to keep a close eye on is the online video games that are being played by their kids.
“We’re seeing a lot of things like Fortnight where predatory offenders have access to kids,” Kollig said. “Maybe they’re not thinking about when they have that mic on what people are hearing in the background. It’s not just the devices they have, it’s the websites they are accessing, the games they’re playing. They are opening up communication with people you might not be aware of.”
She also reminded parents of the permanency of the contact that occurs online and the importance of telling people “no” online. She has had experiences in which the victim didn’t know how to say “no” to somebody that they “liked” — somebody with whom they’ve built rapport with.
“As adults, we have to give them that language,” said Kollig.
Citing national statistics, Kollig said that one in nine girls under 18 and one in 20 boys under 18 will experience sexual abuse or assault before they reach adulthood.
