By PAUL WILCOXEN, The Southern Illinoisan, Ill. The Tribune Content Agency

MARION - Kids are growing up in a world many adults can barely understand. That's one point Dr. Steve Webb made Wednesday, discussing the critical need for parents and educators to bridge the widening age gap fueled by technology and social media.

"The generational gap is even getting worse these days because kids' experiences are different," Webb said. "They're learning their information from five-second snippets from TikTok and Snapchat instead of understanding the developing stories and whether they are good information."

Webb addressed a group that included several emergency management officials from Southern Illinois at "Weathering the Storm," a conference held at The Pavilion in Marion.

Webb expressed concern over how children consume information so rapidly.

"They're not learning to differentiate between good and bad information," Webb said. "It's a significant problem."

The Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition (SPARC) hosted the event to improve community preparedness for emergencies.

After Webb's presentation, SPARC honored him with its inaugural Excellence in Building Resiliency award.

"I'm truly honored," Webb said. "Building resilience means equipping people with the tools they need to protect themselves and their communities. If even a small part of my message makes a difference, it's worth it."

In Education in a Violent World, Webb offers strategies for keeping kids safe in the digital age, stressing the need for situational awareness for physical safety and monitoring children's tech use.

"We're so absorbed in our phones that we miss what's happening around us," Webb said. "We've lost the ability to be present."

Webb urged families to get more involved in understanding the apps their children use and the potential dangers these platforms pose. "Criminals and pedophiles use these platforms to target kids," he explained. "You wouldn't let your child wander a mall full of strangers, but many parents hand over devices with unrestricted internet access and assume their kids are safe because they're quiet."

Webb also spoke about the link between social media and school violence. In researching his book, he found that social media often played a role in the communities where school shootings occurred.

"In every case, something on social media provided clues we missed," he said. "If we don't re-engage with the technology our kids are using, we'll remain blind to the world they live in."

Looking back on his career in school safety, Webb stressed that everyone has to help protect children.

"I wanted to gain that edge to help safeguard our children," he shared. "We can't sit back and expect someone else to take charge. We all need to step up and spread the message."