Viral Home Invasions; Teens, Safety, and 6 Selected Social Networking Tips For Middle School Parents.

 

I had an interesting conversation with my sons (now men) recently about their thoughts on them being one of the first generations having grown up with the internet.  Not so surprising, here are some of their first tips for parents of new teens and the cyber landscape today.  Selected reflections of when they were preteens and  understanding some basics to the current Social Media environment;  some thoughts to ponder are:

· Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and extended family members (Even young folks such as Gen Y, Z, Gamers, and Millennials) should familiarize yourself with what Social Networking (Media) is and isn’t. Watch this current viral video for a great background, the Social Media future is rapidly changing even as we speak!

· Social Networking & Media sites are here to stay and have many upside benefits to researching the world as it is today.  This brave new world is open to all, so be careful what you wish for.

· Benefits are many but have risks for teens, watch your youngster for cyber bullying, harassment, online pedophiles, and emotional distress signs i.e. personality changes.

· Simple safety rules; talk to your teen about using an alias, don’t give out locator information i.e. towns, last names, embarrassing photos, and indiscriminate use of phone photos being uploaded by friends.

· Set up free emails that are safe (AOL, Yahoo, and Google) and can’t be traced back to real life information. This cuts both ways, but better to have this as a defensive shield for your inquisitive teen.

· Preteens need to be counseled that they are accountable for what they post and it is difficult to take it back once uploaded or sent.

 I wish all new teen parents the best of  luck, there is no manual for being a parent of a teen that covers everything!  The internet and Social Media sites can be a wonderful thing if properly used, just add a touch af the common sense you would use in everyday life! Once again, Social Media is here to stay, understand it, and prepare to help your son or daughter learn the positives!