Social Media Survival Guide…
- By Lisa McKenzie
Having fun and staying safe
Social Media is great, right? It can be but do you know that MANY people are not aware of the pitfalls and risks that come with it? Especially our preteens and teenagers. They’re mingling with more than 500 million potential strangers.
2007 statistics from the Teen Internet Survey (by John Walsh, the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children & Cox Communications):
71% of adolescents have set up online profiles. 69% of these adolescents get online personal messages from people they do not know on a regular basis. Most do not tell a parent or other trusted adult about it.
64% of youth post photos or videos of themselves online, almost all of whom are might be viewing them.
56% post info about where they live. Nearly 10% have posted their cell phone number online. 19% of adolescents report they have been harassed or bullied online.
1 in 4 8 -12 year olds have social media accounts (by Ofcom)
Digital immigrants that many of us are, we think our comments are private, even when posting on a public wall. Wrong!
Did you know?
Ignoring default privacy settings can potentially expose your child's profile to the entire internet.
Privacy settings of your child's friends can also make your child's pictures and information public.
As teenagers try to 'out cool' each other online, they're putting etiquette aside and embedding a digital footprint that can be exposed to peers, teachers and employers.
Facebook, as an example, requires users to be 13 years old or older but younger kids can and easily do, misrepresent their birth date to open an account - sometimes with, sometimes without their parents' knowledge or permission.
Best line of defense…
Remove all private information from profiles (birth year, phone number, address, school name...) and advise your child against joining Groups or Pages as they are public.
Maintain an open dialogue with your child and explain the pros and cons of social networking:
Explain that social does not mean all access sharing with more than the 500 million users on Facebook.
For early teens request they use your email address when setting up their social media account to ensure all communications are cleared by you.
Don't play the blame game, but instead encourage open, honest discussion about what a child has seen or done on the Web.
Respect children's concerns or frustrations over your involvement in their surfing activities.
Balance your concerns about exposure to inappropriate or harmful things on the Internet against the benefits gained from exposure to positive things on the Internet.
Do not post embarrassing comments, on their profile. Your ‘cute’ could be their cause for embarassment better saved for family reunions.
Certified Social Media Strategist and Co-Author of The Facebook Guide for Parents. www.FBguideforparents.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
