Tune In When Your Kids Are Logged On - Continued
Published: September 02, 2008
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Work with your kids as they create their profiles, and visit their site regularly to see what changes they’ve made and how other people have commented on their site. Encourage your kids to list true friends – not just acquaintances – on their friends’ list, and not to rank people in order of preference.
Urge them to be selective about which groups they either join or create. While groups can be an effective way for them to express their values, they can also come back to haunt them years later if teachers, coaches, potential employers, or others see that they participated in unwholesome groups.
Require your kids to give you their log on information and passwords so you can access their sites if you should ever need to do so. Have your kids promise never to upload new photos or videos to their sites without your prior approval, because all it takes is just one questionable photo or video to permanently damage their reputations.
Also encourage them to use good judgment when having their picture taken by others, since others may post photos of them online at any time. Make sure that your kids never list their last names, address, phone numbers, e-mails, or instant messaging screen names on their profiles. Have them set their profile page to private so the general public can’t view it. Encourage your kids to use their pages to shine a light for Christ online.
Avoid addictions. Make sure that your kids don’t spend too much time online. Consider having a computer curfew every night, and a rule that they can’t get online each day until their homework is done first. Carve out plenty of time for them to build face-to-face relationships and build strong in-person social skills. Limit their time talking and texting on their cell phones, too, if it’s causing them neglect other parts of their lives.
Encourage them to be true to their identities. Don’t let your kids hide behind their computers and pretend to be people they’re not. Urge them to be completely honest about who they really are instead of projecting an image of someone they’d like to be. Discuss how their true identities are rooted in the reality of God’s love for them rather than anything less than that.
Discuss the dangers of cyberbullying with them. Encourage your kids to treat other kids online the way they would like to be treated themselves, and to speak up for kids who are being victimized by others using the Internet as a forum to bully them.
Prepare them to resist pornography. The sad truth is that, despite all the parental controls you can possibly put into place, it may just be a matter of time before your kids stumble across some porn online. Regularly explain to your kids why it’s damaging to view porn, and teach them to shield themselves from inappropriate images they might unexpectedly encounter.
Help them avoid predators. Regularly remind your kids to be careful about what information they give out online. Teach them to guard their privacy, and never respond to messages from people they don’t know.
Adapted from Logged On and Tuned Out: A Non-Techie’s Guide to Parenting a Tech-Savvy Generation, by Vicki Courtney.
Vicki Courtney is the founder of Virtuous Reality Ministries® which reaches more than 150,000 girls and mothers a year. A mother herself of three teens, she seeks to provide both teens and their parents with the tools necessary to navigate today’s promiscuous culture. She is the creator of VirtuousReality.com, an online magazine for teen girls, which has attracted visitors from all 50 states and more than 30 countries.
Copyright © 2008 Vicki Courtney. All rights reserved.
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Tune In When Your Kids Are Logged On
Published: September 02, 2008
Discover several steps you can follow to protect your kids from the various dangers on the Internet.
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