Protect Your Children from Social Network Threats

By Dr. Dee Carter

Remember the days of hanging out after school walking home or riding the bus with friends. Remember rushing home because you couldn’t wait to call your friend from the house phone to him/her the exciting events of the day.  I remember those days well, but our youth of today won’t have memories like this because social media has significantly altered the way we communicate. 

Today most of us keep in touch with each other through social network sites (SNS).  Young adults, however, have taken it to the extreme.  They use SNS to communicate even when they are in the same room with each other. Social media has made it more convenient to shared information instantly, communicate with friends around the world and connect with new friends without leaving home. These advances make life easier for us but they also have their setbacks.

Most youth search for personal & health information on SNS.  Some of this information should continue to come from home through a parent or guardian, but when kids don’t feel comfortable asking someone, it is good that they can access information related to sensitive and tough questions. Despite the luxury and ease of communication today, there are some short comings with social media.  The same issues we experience in face-to-face relationships occur virtually.  SNS are used to incite bullying (girls ages 16-17 more frequently than boys), relationship abuse, promiscuous behavior & sexual predation.

Just last Tuesday a 12 year old girl jumped to her death after being bullied by her classmates. "Even though your child may seem normal, there may be something else going on" her mother stated to CNN.  Ask your child if they have been a victim of any of these offenses; know your child’s status. A way to protect them is through open dialogue about their social network pages. It is not recommended that parents threaten to take computers/phones away in order to monitor what your child is doing. Experts say this forces them to be more secretive.

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Resources for Parents

CommonSenseMedia.org
Safekids.org
Enough.org
StoyCyberbullying.org
SafetyNet.aap.org