Written by Jennifer James | Read
Safety Tips for Kids Who Use Wireless Devices |
Sponsored by
bNetS@vvy
As a mom blogger I am constantly receiving emails from companies
that “just launched an ultra safe social network for
children”.

How an “ultra safe social network
for kids” can be created is beyond me, but I see it all the
time.
My two girls are 9 and 12 and my husband and I don’t think they’re
old enough quite yet to be involved in social networking sites. I’m
sure it isn’t such a big deal, but simply understanding the pace of
social media and how monitoring it can be difficult we simply
forbid these sites altogether. I can never be 100% sure that the
person they “friend” is a peer. I am always suspicious that the
“friend” may, in fact, be an adult posing as a child. It’s no
wonder I get very apprehensive about sites that allow children to
connect online.
I am sure there are a lot of parents out there like us. And I’m
also sure there are many parents who think we need to push our
girls out of the nest and let them dabble in social networking.

Whatever side of the fence you fall on,
bNetS@vvy provides safety tips
for adults on how to keep children safe while using social
networking sites. One thing is certain: all children will use the
sites eventually.
Social Networking Safety Tips for Kids
Monitor Your Child’s Social Networking Use: It is becoming
more difficult to monitor your children’s social networking use
because many of these sites have mobile companion apps. But you can
take the power back and ensure they tell you their username and
password so you can check in on them whenever you want to monitor
their activity. Also, don’t be afraid to view the recent history on
any computer they use. It will help you figure out the sites they
frequent and how much time they spend there.
For tweens and teens it is understandable to want to give them
space. However, you can join the same social networking sites
they’re members of and monitor their use by being connected to them
virtually. I know some parents who require their children to friend
them on Facebook or else they cannot be a part of the site at
all.
Understand Sites’ Privacy Settings: Social networking sites
give their users various levels of privacy settings, so just
because you are your teen’s friend on Facebook they may have
blocked you from seeing some of their posted information. Make sure
you understand the privacy settings of each social network and make
sure they give you access to all of the information they are
sharing with their friends.
Know the Language: Social networking language is far
different than the language we use every day. Do you know what
“LOL” means? Of course you do. Everybody does. Written by Jennifer
James | Sponsored by
bNetS@vvy
What about “MOS”. It means “mom over shoulder”. It is important
that you learn kid shorthand because you can be sitting right next
to your child and have no idea what they are talking about. It’s
cool for kids to talk in code, so the more you know, the better.
Check out bNetS@vvy’s comprehensive cheat sheet
here.
School Your Children on Being Discreet: Oftentimes children
do not understand that oversharing can be a bad thing. Make sure
they know not to tell the Internet world their real name, address,
social security number, phone number, license plate number, date of
birth and even their credit card number, if they have one. Scammers
are quite crafty and often scam adults. Think about how easy it
would be to scam a child.
Remind Your Kids About Permanence: Just because everything
on the Internet can be deleted, make sure you stress to your child
that once information is posted, it’s out there forever. Make sure
yoru your child understands to be careful about the type of
information they share online and make them live by this question.
When posting tell them to ask themselves would they be embarrassed
about what they are going to post if they were face-to-face with
their friends. If the answer is yes, they shouldn’t post it.
For more safety tips about social networking, visit
bNetS@vvy.
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