she says, she goes through his friends list from time to time to approve it.
Even with all these precautions, the
only way to really ensure personal information stays private is to keep it off the Internet entirely. Children should therefore remember to err on the side of caution when considering posting their whereabouts, when they might be home alone, or when their family will be leaving town.
Shawna Crotsley, another First Coast
mom, often discusses these safety precautions with her three children. Even though her oldest, Tyler, is the only one currently allowed to have social media accounts, she includes her two younger children, Madison, 14, and Jarred, 12, in these conversations to prepare them for social media safety. “We had lots of talks with our son when he was younger, when there were times he just didn’t think twice about posting how excited he was about to be going on a camping trip, not realizing he just told 200 people that we were going out of town.” Now 19, Tyler is much more responsible online both because of his increased maturity and because Shawna taught him how to post safely.
Te bottom line is that no information
that has been posted online should ever be considered private or protected. Ever. Tell your children that if they would not want a stranger knowing something, like where they live or when they’ll be home alone next—do not post it online.
Think Twice In addition to protecting themselves
against others on the Internet, your children should also be aware that their own online activity can get them into trouble if they’re not careful. As innocent and irrelevant as a tweet or a Facebook post might seem, be assured that your
child’s online behavior can carry real-life consequences. As a teacher, Shannon doesn’t just hear her students talk about Facebook; she’s seen some students face penalties at school as a direct result of something they said or posted online. “Reckless behavior online can lead to disciplinary action if [students] are not following the student code of conduct.”
Reckless behavior could be considered
unsavory jokes, inappropriate language, incriminating photos and more. While none of these things are ever appropriate, especially for children, the last place one should be exhibiting this behavior is online. Once it’s there, it’s there for good— even deleted comments and photos can resurface long after a person has regretted posting them. “I would recommend that students think twice about what they post, and if they would still approve of their post years down the road,” Shannon says. She says another metric for measuring the wisdom of a post is whether or not it is something a child would want an adult to see. “If it is not appropriate for their parents or teachers to view, then it should not be online.”
Shawna agrees
with this idea. “We have always had a no-privacy rule where electronics are concerned. We feel that there
should be nothing our children should be typing or posting…that we shouldn’t be able to see.” Shawna also feels parents should monitor their children’s online activity by creating their own accounts on the same websites their children use. “It’s good to be able to see what their friends post, what they post and what’s going on in their lives.” Juanita agrees, saying she actively monitors her children’s activity to make sure they don’t unknowingly post anything that could get them into trouble.
Sadly, there is also the risk that your
child could post something online that is hurtful to somebody else. Cyber bullying is a huge issue plaguing social media. Stacy Pendarvis, the education and research director at the Monique Burr Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides the bullying prevention program Speak Up, Be Safe at elementary schools in Florida, says cyber bullying can be more dangerous than face-to-face bullying because victims can be targeted at any time through social media—there is no escaping it. Stacy believes many children participate in cyber bullying because they don’t understand the consequences, nor do they worry about getting caught. “I think their inhibitions are lowered and they get kind of pulled into this sense of—it’s really not that dangerous. Nobody will know it’s me.”
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