Teens’ going to Comic-Con? Make sure to give them these safety tips

“Comic-Con … I can’t believe I’m going to Comic-Con!”

“San Diego! That is far away, there will be so many people, and how will you take care of yourself?”

Which one of these is the parent? You guessed it; it’s obviously the second one! Our teens are always excited about trying new things and we parents are always worried about their well-being. And Comic-Con is such a big event and teens need to be very careful while there. Teens in their excitement tend to be very irresponsible and their adventurous instinct can get them into trouble. Last year, there was a case of sexual harassment reported at the convention, after which the Comic-Con had to revise their policy. The victims reported that they were groped, followed and photographed without their will during the four-day event. All sorts of people are there at the event, your teen can be a victim too!

We know it’s Comic-Con so they are extremely excited and overwhelmed but while it is important for them to have fun it is very important for them to be safe. You need to make sure that while they will be far away, they are still safe. Some of you might not exactly know what the event is about, so let’s have a look at it.

What is Comic-Con?

Comic-Con International: San Diego is a 4 day (Thursday–Sunday) multigenre entertainment and comic convention/exhibition held every year. Primarily, the event exhibited science fiction and fantasy films, comic books, fictional television, and resembling pop art. The event now has a wide variety of entertainment elements and pop culture of all virtual genres which include; animation, horror, video games, anime, webcomics, manga, fantasy novels and collectible card toys. Cosplay (costume play) is a highlight of this event, people dress and act like their favorite fantasy or fiction character.

How can teens have fun and be safe?

Naturally, teens will feel overwhelmed on the first day of the event, but tell them that they will be fine eventually after some time. Here are some tips to give to your teens to keep them safe at the event:

• Tell them to check their phone regularly for any messages and calls; they need to stay in touch with you all the time.
• Tell them to carry a backpack and keep some snacks like a pack of chips or nuts and a water bottle in it. They will be so busy at the event that they might forget to take a proper meal.
• Install phone locator apps in your phone and your child’s phones to keep a track of their whereabouts.
• In case of phone theft, these phone tracking apps will also let you remotely lock their phones and later, you can even retrieve them.
• If someone harasses, gropes, assaults, or tries to rape them, or if they experience any other similar situation, tell them to immediately report to a member of the organizing team. Or they can send you an SOS alert through their parental control app, so you get their instant location stats and can come to their rescue.

Let your teens have some geeky fun!

Comic-Con is the most awaited event of the year, so while your teens are too excited to attend it, you would want to protect them. Let your nerd kids enjoy their favorite convention and guide them how to keep themselves safe and contact you in case of an emergency. Be protective but don’t be over-protective because you know that your trusted parental app will keep you posted!