In light of Maischak controversy, talk to kids about what they post

I remember years ago when my son who was in high school got onto an online chat group about guns. He voiced his opinion and sent it out in the internet world. The next morning, when I got online, I had a letter waiting for me from AOL regarding what he wrote. I printed it out, circled everything in red and taped it to his bedroom door.

I remember him looking at that letter and being mortified that because of something he said, AOL sent a letter to us. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about what happens when you hit the “send” button.

A few years later when my daughter was in high school and had her own cell phone. We had “the talk” about things that should not be sent out – especially inappropriate pictures of her or others.

I guess no one explained any of this to Fresno State lecturer Lars Maischak. I expect that nothing will happen to him because attorneys will get involved. The only way to show disgust would be to withhold money from the college; are people really going to do that? Probably not enough to cause a problem.

This story was originally published April 17, 2017 at 1:35 PM with the headline "In light of Maischak controversy, talk to kids about what they post."