Your tween may have a hard time knowing the difference between interacting with friends on social media and sharing too much publicly. Here’s advice for talking to your child about using technology and social networks appropriately:
Privacy settings
Before kids share anything, go over privacy settings with them. Facebook and other social media sites have complex privacy controls to determine who can see their status, photos, interests, and even their list of friends. By default, the settings tend to share everything with the public! Make sure only your child’s real-life friends can see their activity.
What kinds of things should we share online?
Talk about what kinds of posts you think are appropriate for your child to share. Set boundaries regarding whether photos are allowed, and teach them about why they should never post phone numbers, home addresses, and personal schedules that could give away too much info to strangers.
Put the phones away at night
When the lights go out, many kids stay awake texting and using social media. Younger kids with cell phones should surrender them at bedtime. This helps break the dependency on social media and makes sure their rested for learning the next day.
Don’t post when you’re angry
Tweens need to learn how to handle their emotions well. Social media makes it too easy to say hurtful things or make bad decisions when someone is sad, angry, or confused. Teach your kids to spend a few minutes thinking about the things they post—especially when feeling emotional about something.
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