If you’re a parent, you’re braced for your kids frequent summer cry, “I’m bored!” That down time means lots of internet and electronic time for children. And with 95 percent of teens using the internet, parents are rightfully worried about the sites their kids are visiting and what they are sharing while they are at work.
A new Pew Research study sheds some light on teen’s social media habits, and illustrates some important steps to keep your kids’ social media activities safe.
Alarmingly, almost three-fourths of teens share city and school information. This makes it easy for online predators to find a victim by matching location and photos.
With cyberbullying, cyber-stalking and intimidation extortion scams in the headlines, parents should use them to demonstrate the dangers of sharing location information and pictures on social media. Some teens use a picture of a favorite sport, cartoon character, or movie clip as their profile picture to keep their identity safe while still seeming “cool” to others. Work with your teen to find something they would like to use as an alternative to their real picture so you both can be happy.
Securing social media is important, but make sure your kids’ smart phones and tablets are protected as well. Download and install an anti-virus and anti-theft app like SecureIT Mobile to protect them from internet threats and a password and data protection service like Password Genie to make sure their personal information stays private.
Important tips like these will make sure a simple “I’m bored,” doesn’t turn into something far more dangerous.
