Title:
Techno Granny,
Attention Parents, Risks and Fixes for Teens on Facebook.
Listen to Show Here
In October 2013
Facebook announced teenagers ages 13-17 will be permitted to post publicly.
This means anyone on the social networking site could have access to
information provided by your child.
Learning to navigate the world of social networking is not easy,
compounding the learning curve are conventional parental responsibilities. This
raises a novel host of questions and concerns for parents, guardians and
caregivers of teens and tweens.
In
todays show Joanne Quinn- Smith, Techno Granny, investigates several risks
related to Facebook and social media.
She introduces her listeners to multiple studies conducted by leading
experts in the field of technology which address not just the problems
surrounding teens and social media, but fixes; ways to avoid or solve the troubles
teens experience in cyberspace.
Help
Your Teens Play it Safe.
 |
| They love the computer but how safe are they? |
Accessibility
to technology has changed aspects of everyone’s life.
Today’s youth have grown up immersed in a cyber-culture. For most,
computers allow near instantaneous communication and are usually packaged small
enough to fit into the palm of our hand.
This type of high tech telecommunication is all youth know. On the same hand, parents have striven to
teach and guide their children through life’s most difficult moments; this
includes the trials and errors of learning to become independent and productive
adults. The basic instructions parents
need to instill upon their children have not changed because technology has
changed. If anything, the influx of new communication devices requires parents
to become more diligent than ever in monitoring and understanding how kids manage
their participation on social media sites.
Teens
use Facebook for the same purpose as adults; they
·
·
send
messages,
·
share
photos and videos and
·
Plan
social events.
It
all seems harmless until you stop to think about who your children are
associating with on social networking sites.
Who are your teen’s friends on Facebook?
Now that Facebook enables individuals to manage their own audience, the Activity Log is a means for users to review
and watch over what has been posted. The Activity Log is private to everyone
but the user. From here, users can
manage who is capable of seeing their content.
A
Simple inquiry such as, “why is Facebook important to you?’ opens a window into more in
depth conversation about appropriate online behaviors. reviewing your child’s privacy settings with
them is a good way to set social media ground rules as well as enforce
them.
The
frequently evolving realm of social media is a lot for adults to keep tabs on,
but for youth who have
Conversations
with your child about online predators and privacy are no brainers, but equally
important are chats about the Golden Rule. A gentle
reminder that anything posted online can be misconstrued or taken out of
context can be of great consequence. Online
communication lacks additional clues (tone of voice, body language) therefore; comments
and posts are not always interpreted in the way the sender intends. The Golden Rule states ‘treat others as you
would want to be treated’. Practicing
self-respect and respect for others when communicating, specifically online, is one way teens can safely connect with
friends and peers on social media. In other words, think before you post. This idea applies to parents as well. If you have friended your child on Facebook
it is recommended that you apply the same boundaries you have offline to your
online relationship. Parents need to
create a healthy balance between their teens developing independence and any
safety concerns that may arise due to the use of social networking. It is equally important for adults to learn
the language of social networking. These
sites often have their own set of acronyms and terms which describe various
online activities and characteristics. Familiarizing
yourself with the correct terminology may take away your suspicions of social
media.
How
Can I Help My Teen Use Facebook Wisely?
Parents can always opt to assist their tween or teen
in setting and managing their Facebook page’s
security and privacy. Ongoing conversations regarding Facebook
usage and responsible online behavior are a parent’s obligation. Beginning basic education at a young age will
help ensure your child grasps the concepts of internet safety. Some fundamental online safety rules to
instill in children include never share a password, think before you post,
accept friend requests only from people you know offline and report anything
that appears suspicious.
 |
| Learn as much as you can about Facebook. |
7
Facebook Risks You Should Discuss With Your Teen.
According
to Victoria Kempf, blogger for Teenlife.com, many parents worry about what
their teens are doing on Facebook. There are many documented benefits to
participating in social networking, but there are risks that accompany the
advantages. Parents must be aware of
these risks in order to keep their children safe. The 7 risks parents should be
prepared to address with their tweens and teens as they cultivate a digitally social
life are as follows:
1)
Facebook Postings Are Not
Private.
2)
Facebook Postings Can Impact Your
Teen’s Future.
3)
Friending On Facebook Equates To
a Badge of Popularity.
4)
Online predators are Real.
5)
Cyberbullying Is Real.
6)
Poking is Sharing. It Can Also Be
Sexting.
7)
Identity Theft Can Happen To
Teens Too.
Each of these risks has the
potential to lead to harm of child. Luckily
there is a fix to accompany each risk.
Posts are not private. In a nut shell, anything posted on line has
the capability of being copy and pasted elsewhere by anyone with access to your
child’s Facebook account. This includes
videos and photos. In order to render
this problem parents should assist their children with programming their
Facebook privacy settings.
Related to privacy is the trend
of Tagging.
Tagging can create a lot of issues regarding privacy, or lack
thereof. When someone is tagged in a
Facebook photo, their identity is publicized and linked to their Facebook
Timeline. When looking over your child’s
settings consider applying review tags, so that your teen must approve any photos
before they are displayed for the world to view.
When someone posts on a social media site they are
in an essence creating their own brand.
This is also referred to as a
digital footprint. Many teens still view
social networking as an anonymous way to explore certain topics and socialize
with people they wouldn’t necessarily mingle with offline. As people increase their cyber citizenship
many colleges, scholarship providers and employers view the Facebook profiles
of potential candidates before making a selection. This process is done to verify any students or
employees chosen to represent an organization are the type of individual who
will have a positive reflection upon the association. The best way to combat this problem is to
have on going conversations with your children concerning appropriate
behavior. On or offline, tweens and
teens need to consider what the consequences of their actions may be.
Many children assume more friends on Facebook mean
they are popular.
Often kids accept a ‘friend’
request from anyone, even if they do not know the person offline. How does a parent manage their child’s
friends? If your child agrees to
‘friend’ you on Facebook, you will then have access to their personal friend
list. From this vantage point you can
monitor the exchanges that go on between your child and their ‘friends’.
Sometimes children post messages
and status updates that unintentionally attract online predators. Just as teens have become tech savvy, so have
predators. To avoid this potentially dangerous situation parents should present
their teen with a list of things that should never be posted on Facebook or
anywhere on line. For example, birthdays,
phone numbers, addresses or any other identifying location, school name,
parents first and last names should never be made public on line.
Cyberbullying is real.
This is a behavior which tends to intensify on line behind a shield of
presumed anonymity. As stated earlier,
nothing is truly private on line; this includes mean or degrading and harassing
comments. Socializing on line is not all
that different from life offline.
Teaching your child to respect themselves as well as the opinions and
differences of others will help minimize the risk factors of cyberbullying. Furthermore, having access to your teens
Activity Log will let you monitor their behavior on Facebook.
Get Additional Information on Cyberbullying Here
For those familiar with Facebook, you have probably
been poked or have poked someone.
The new App Facebook Poke
automatically destructs photos and videos posted to the site within a few
seconds. This activity leads children to
believe their posts are completely erased.
These presumptions often lead to risky behaviors that child would
otherwise not conduct if they felt the consequences to their actions would be
noticed. According to Facebook a loop
hole was recently discovered and the photos and videos on Facebook Poke are not
as private as teens thought. Apparently Facebook is working to repair this
problem but ultimately parents need to reiterate to their children the idea of
not putting anything on line that they would be embarrassed by or later
regret.
Great blog post on Poking
Facebook Information on Poking
Identity theft can happen to
children. If details are posted on line that contains
identifying information cybercriminals will try and find a way to access
it. It is easy to click on a link or
download an attachment that appears to be harmless only to realize you have
jeopardized your computer with malware.
As part of a child’s technology education, instruction on identifying
phishing scams should be taught. Teens
and tweens should be told to never click on unusual or unfamiliar links even if
they come from someone they know. In
addition, teens should be told to never reveal personal information over the
computer.
Pennsylvania Laws on Identity Theft
Arkansas Police on Identity Theft
In summary, to help ensure your child is safe while
navigating the social side of the cyber world make sure they understand each of
the risks addressed above and the various ways to avoid them.
Tell your teens how in appropriate behavior on
social network sites can affect their future.
Lastly, teach your children internet safety, from a young age. Review the codes of conduct. Don’t just assume children know what is
appropriate and what isn’t. Remember the goal is to teach our children to be
good cyber citizens.
Aside from any legal risks associated with social
media use, a child’s emotional state could be at risks as well.
According to Everydayhealth.com, Facebook depression is a newly
debated phenomenon. Experts report that
teens who spend a great deal of time on Facebook reading status updates may feel
their social lives are unfulfilled and fall into a depression. Symptoms of Facebook depression mirror
classic depression symptoms; skipping meals or activities, weight loss or gain,
drop in grades. Parents should be aware
that this condition exists and know when to seek help for their child.
Cyberbullying is another topic which receives a lot
of attention from the media.
Cyberbullying is bullying through
electronic devices and can include texting, emails, instant messaging,
unapproved posting of videos, photos or links and general harassment through an
electronic communication device. Often
cyberbullying leads to depression, anxiety, severe isolation and sometimes even
suicide. Parents should make themselves
aware of the warning signs of bullying, including depression, avoiding school
and peers, spending excessive time online.
Sexting is another online specific behavior that has
the potential to ruin your child’s reputation and devastate their emotional
health.
Sexting is the act of sending,
receiving or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs or images on
electronic devices. Although the
American Academy of Pediatrics reports most sexts are not shared beyond a small
group of friends, the potential for these images to be shared with hundreds if
not thousands of people does exist.
Furthermore, the possibility of teens being charged with felony child
pornography and various misdemeanors exists depending on the circumstances and
the state where the sexting occurred.
In order to help your teen maintain an unpolluted
digital footprint parents and kids must understand what a digital footprint
actually is.
This phrase is used to describe
the trail of online activity that develops as a person uses electronic
media. Parents can help their children
by monitoring their privacy settings and reinforcing the idea that anything
posted online is there- someplace, forever.
Informational Blog on Protecting Your Digital Footprint
Parents have a duty to help their children safely participate in social
media. The American Academy of
Pediatrics suggests, chatting about Facebook and how your child is using
it. Also, consider ‘friending’ your
child. If your child does not want you
as a friend on their Facebook page parents should automatically consider this a
red flag. Be aware of news headlines
depicting the good and bad aspects of Facebook and other social media
sites. Share these with your teen. Finally, make the computer accessible in a
central location of the home; this will give parents a clearer sense of who is
on line and how often.
Techno Granny Show Hosted By:
Joanne Quinn-Smith is the Creative Energy Officer of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and an expert on Web 2.0 Branding, 2009 National SBA Small Business Journalist of the Year, Author "Folly of Marketing Plan in Your Head, 101 Compelling Reasons to Write One." Available at:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHKVJOG
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Techno Granny Show™ 2014 All rights reserved.
Dreamweaver Marketing Associates | (412) 444-5197
Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/TechnoGrannyShow OR on its unique radio channel at: http://tinyurl.com/pospittlivemag
Additional blog posts at: http://technogrannyshow.com
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Techno Granny Show™ 2014 All rights reserved.
Dreamweaver Marketing Associates | (412) 444-5197
Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/TechnoGrannyShow OR on its unique radio channel at: http://tinyurl.com/pospittlivemag
Additional blog posts at: http://technogrannyshow.com
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