It's no secret that technology has tremendously evolved over the past decade. David Ferris, section chief of Cyber Crime Unit with the Louisiana Department of Justice, encourages parents to have open discussions with their children about internet safety. 

On what parents should be on the look-out for when their children use the internet
The internet, itself, is not what you need to afraid of. Computers are not what you need to be afraid of. Computers are an inanimate object and the internet is a great thing, but it can also be a very dangerous thing. If we aren’t properly monitoring what our children are doing online, that thing [internet] that can be used for amazing things can also be used for some very evil things. 

As a parent, you need to understand what your kids are doing online. It’s a really hard situation for parents to navigate. When we grew up it was, “Hey mom or dad, how do I stop the VCR from blinking?”, not “How do I work Kik and FaceTime?” The first suggestion I would give is to have an understanding of the apps that your children are using and what they’re capable of doing on them. 

On how parents can make their children aware of potential dangers of the internet
There’s no silver bullet. You know your child. You know when it’s the right time to speak to your child. You know the maturity level of your child. What I will say is this: if you don’t have the conversation you don’t get to decide who influences your children with providing that information to them. 

When we were growing up we were always told to watch out for the guy in the park with the trench coat. We were taught to be careful of “stranger danger” type things. If kids aren’t in the park anymore, why would predators go to the park to look for children? Kids have moved to the internet and so have predators. 

On what parents can do if they suspect danger for their children
The first thing I suggest is to have conversations with your child. You can’t expect to have an open, honest relationship if it’s a one-time thing. You need to have a regular conversation – open those doors of communication. You think there’s something going on in their phone? Take their phone and take a look at it. You can always contact us if something doesn’t look right to you. We’d be glad to sit down and talk to you as a parent to investigate the issue. 
If parents suspect anything, they can call the Louisiana Department of Justice at 1-800-256-4506. From there, you can go to our website which is agjefflandry.com and you can contact us through there as well. We’ll be more than happy to help. If you feel that it is an emergency, call 911.

Time to Talk is produced with the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana and BayouLife Magazine.

​According the American Academy of Pedicatrics, children under 18 months should not engage in screen time. Amy Clancy, Director of Childcare Connections, discusses the importance of limiting a child's presence in front of screened technology. Clancy says the best way to monitor screen time is to talk with children as they are engaging in screen time. While there are no regulations on educational content, parents should be involved with how and what their children are looking at. 

Clancy says the best way to monitor screen time is to talk with children as they are engaging in screen time.

On the importance of limiting screen time from birth to age two
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under the age of 2. Recently they did revise and lower it to 18 months, but I still think the two-year-old mark is a clear-cut mark. I believe it’s best practice to introduce screen time after the age of two.

During that critical period of development, children’s brains are wiring up. Too much screen time at the wrong time can actually change the architecture of their brain development. We really want to make sure that children are getting quality interactions during that period of time that’s wiring their brain and preparing them for the foundation for all learning that comes after that. 

On screen time limitations from two-years-old to teenage years
Again, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a maximum of two hours per day for children ages two and up. It’s a little bit harder for parents and educators to navigate that two-hour maximum for that age bracket. 

On determining quality content for children to engage in
A lot of the free apps and downloads are labeled as educational and kid-friendly, but that’s not necessarily true. There are no regulations or standards for content to be labeled as educational media. A good resource for parents to investigate and see if the media they’re choosing are educational, is commonsensemedia.org. It can be a really good tool for parents and educators.

On how adults can model good habits for children
Young children – children in general – take their cues from us as parents. What they see us do is what they see as important. It’s really important to model good behavior ourselves. When our children are engaging in screen time, we need to be right alongside them and talking to them. Adult involvement and engagement is what makes quality screen time – that’s what wires up the child’s brain. 
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Time to Talk is produced with the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana and BayouLife Magazine.

MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 NEWS) - If you saw dragons in Bayou DeSiard over the weekend, most likely 
you weren't simply imagining mythical creatures going for a swim... You were witnessing this year's Dragon Boat Festival.
More than 400 people rowed in about 20 boats all the way across the bayou.
The executive director of the Children's Coalition says it's all about encouraging families to be healthy and go outside.
"It goes to the Children's Coalition, what it does is we serve the 12 parishes of northeast Louisiana, so we do things that really help children zero to eighteen and their families thrive so so we start with the family resources center by bringing families back together," says Executive Director Lynn Clark.
Anyone looking to participate next year can either join a team individually or sign a group up to compete. 

MONROE, La, (KNOE) - The Children's Coalition hosting the 2018 Bayou Desiard Dragon Boat Festival.
Twenty-six teams competing in this year's race.
Organizers say the key to winning these races isn't about strength, but more about coordination and unison.
Some say they had months to practice, others say they didn't have much time at all.
"We had practice in one day,” said Byron Maze with the Lee Junior High Tigers. Didn't know what we were doing we just came paddling. Got splashed with water. It was a good experience."
"During school, we had our first practice just like sitting in chairs and we rowed with paddles and then we had practice out here and we practiced in the water," said Claire Booch.
The event benefits the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana.

The 7th Annual Bayou Desiard Dragon Boat Festival is May 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Bayou Desiard at the corner of Loop Road and Forsythe in Monroe.

The opening ceremony is at 11 a.m. The Neville High School Band parades in the boat race teams. This year, the race features 27 teams, 9 of which are made of all youth rowers. The race then takes off at 12 p.m. Each boat has 20 rowers, lead by a drummer in the front of the boat. The drummer helps the rowers to keep a steady rhythm. Attendees can vote for their favorite team in the People's Choice Award Competition under the Children's Coalition tent.

"You're in the water for about three minutes, but it's the longest three minutes I've ever rowed," says Dr. Lynn Clark, Executive Director of the Children's Coalition. Proceeds from the event go towards the Children's Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating communities where children and families thrive.

The morning kicks off with a boot camp from INFIT Gym and a family health care fair featuring free healthcare screening and activities for children. Paddle H2O is giving paddleboard demonstrations at the dock all morning. Blue Sky Yoga is hosting an outdoor yoga class at 10:30 a.m., followed by a zumba class with MisFit1 at 11 a.m. Food trucks and children's activities are available all day.
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More information about the Dragon Boat Festival is available here.