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Social Media and Your Child


W


e are living in the age of social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr—the list of


social websites seems to grow every day, and more and more children are showcasing their personal lives on the least personal place in the whole wide world: the World Wide Web.


Social media is fun, and a great way for


children and teens to keep up with friends and express themselves. But, it can also be scary knowing your children are online rubbing virtual shoulders with all sorts of people—friends and strangers alike—so talk to your children about how to safely stay in touch while staying out of trouble.


Be Safe With millions of strangers lurking


about the Web at any given moment, if your children use social media, it is essential to impress upon them the importance of online safety. First and foremost, children should be taught to never post personal information online, such as a home address, where it could fall into the wrong hands.


Juanita Harris, First Coast mom of


three, says this is one of the first things she told her 13-year-old son Drew when she helped him open his Facebook account. “I made it a point to tell him that [our address] wasn’t something that needed to be on there,” she says. “He’s also not supposed to chat with people he doesn’t know—physically know, face-to-face.”


Tis is another important point for


your children to remember—never grant a stranger access to your online information. Shannon Dunn, a middle school teacher in Duval County, says her students discuss social media daily, and because it is so prevalent in their lives, she urges students to be careful. “I recommend [children] to not ‘friend’ or connect with people they do not personally know, or have [not] met face-to-face, to help protect their privacy and keep them safe.”


6 | Family! Screening your child’s friend or follow


requests is a great way to start, as is heightening their privacy settings. “I would also recommend that they…review their privacy settings at least monthly,” Shannon says. Tis is a good idea, as frequent changes on sites like Facebook sometimes result in changes to account security settings. Juanita says that Drew’s privacy settings are as high as possible. “We have to find his friends. You can only find him if you’re a friend of one of his friends.” Still,


HERITAGE PUBLISHING, INC. © 2014


By Aloise Schmitt


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