Welcome!

Please join us to discuss everything literary (especially kid literary): good books, the writing life, the people and businesses who create books, controversies in book world, what's good to snack on while reading and writing, and anything else bookish. We welcome your thoughts.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Keeping Teens and Tweens Safe Online

by Marcy Collier

Ipads and Iphones and tablets oh my!

If you're the parent of a teen, tween and even younger, they have probably
used an electronic device of some kind. Heck, in my son's middle school,
all of the students are issued Chromebooks in the beginning of the school year.
All of their books and most homework is done online. They collaborate with
teachers and other students via email and Google Docs.

My boys are computer savvy, but as a parent I worry. You can't watch them
24/7 and monitor every single document, video and text. I pay attention.
I've had the talk about online predators at least a zillion times. I've even
had my best friend who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigations in
the division of online Crimes Against Children have several talks with
my older son on her experiences and advice on how to be careful online.

New apps are popping up every day. My advice is to be aware, ask questions
and do surprise checks on all devices. If your children know you'll be checking up
on them, they'll be less likely to post and comment inappropriately online. I always
tell them never to post anything they wouldn't want the world to see.

Here's a link to a great article on protecting your teen!

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2014/11/14/protect-your-teens-7-apps-and-websites-parents-should-be-aware-of/

No comments:

Post a Comment