Three Easy Ways to Protect Kids on Social Media
A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) took a look the impact social media has on children and their families, and found that while there are real benefits of children using social media, there are some serious downsides, too.
The study found that about 22% of teens log on to their preferred social network more than 10 times per day, and that three-quarters of teens own cell phones. With such high levels of online engagement, teens are at risk of becoming the victims of cyberbullying, “Facebook depression”, and exposure to inappropriate content.
Just as you protect your kids in real life, you need to protect your kids online, too. Here are a few tips on Internet safety to help you do just that.
Be in the Know.
One of the most important things you can do to protect kids on social media is to be in the know about all of the latest cultural trends. Stay in touch with the latest apps, sites, and tools. After all, how will you be able to protect kids on social media if you don’t even know which sites are out there, which sites they’re using, and which sites they’re not?
Make Friends With Them.
In order to protect kids on social media properly, you’re going to need their passwords, so make it a requirement they they give you their passwords to any and all sites that they go on. This way, you can check to see what their activity is, even if they’ve blocked your own personal pages or set up their privacy settings to keep you out.
Talk to Them.
One of the best ways to protect kids on social media is also one of the simplest: talk to them. Discuss with your kids the risks that are inherent with using the Internet as a communication tool. Tell them not to get peer pressured into posting or participating in any online activity that may be harmful to their reputation.
With these tips, it’s more than possible to protect kids on social media without having to constantly worry about being able to monitor Internet activity. If you have any questions about these tips for Internet safety, or know of any other good ways to protect kids on social media, feel free to share in the comments.
