Community Meeting To Address Online Dangers For Children

Parents and community members are invited to an important meeting Wednesday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Cedar High School to address a growing threat affecting local youth—online child solicitation. The event, organized by the Iron County School District, will feature Sergeant Stenson Bergstrom of the Cedar City Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, who will lead a presentation designed specifically for parents.

During an interview on KSUB Radio’s Big Picture Morning Show, Iron County School District Student Services Coordinator Tim Marriott said, “We are having a parent meeting tomorrow (Wednesday), November 5 at 6:30 at Cedar High School. And we have Sergeant Bergstrom who will be presenting on online child solicitation.” Marriott added that the issue has impacted local students directly. “In the last couple of years, we've received information or worked with students who have been victims of this online solicitation. It's heartbreaking,” he said during the broadcast.

Bergstrom - Marriot in studio / Dr. T / Canva

Sergeant Bergstrom explained that online solicitation is not limited to hidden corners of the internet. “People think it's like some deep, dark web problem, but I mean, we get cases on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, all these things that everybody's using,” Bergstrom said. As a member of the statewide ICAC network under the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Bergstrom’s team handles cases referred from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “It is increasing every year,” he said.

Meeting Is Designed For Adults

Bergstrom emphasized that his presentation is meant for parents due to the mature nature of the content. “Depending on how things go, there's some graphic topics that could be brought up,” he said, recommending that parents use discretion if they plan to bring older teens.

Both Bergstrom and Marriott stressed that prevention begins with communication and awareness. “Ultimately, it comes down to communication with your kids,” Bergstrom said. Marriott added that students and friends who become aware of potentially harmful situations should seek help through school counselors, therapists, or the confidential SafeUT website.

Jefferson Snatos via Unsplash

To encourage participation, Marriott said the event will include prize drawings for attendees, including items such as an iPad and a Chromebook. “We just believe that this is such an important topic that we're going to do everything we can to get parents, community members, whoever, to come and participate and listen to Sergeant Bergstrom,” he said on KSUB.