Be sure to talk about proper online etiquette and monitor your child’s online behavior closely.
Most will refer the triple BBB to the Better Business Bureau but in this case, however, they will mean something entirely different. Blogging is for all ages, but one particular age group who may need a bit of guidance (from a parent, guardian, or even a life coach) is the teenage group. Online safety is our top priority. So how can we make blogging for teenagers a positive environment? Let’s remember these three important Bs:
1. SafeBook Not Facebook
Teach your teen how to navigate through Facebook’s privacy settings and make sure she understands what each feature means, like unfriend, block, or set up an activity log. Encourage your teen to report anything out of the norm. You can use this safebook poster created by Fuzion Marketing PR Design as a guide for your teen. As a parent, it’s also important to make time and learn teen jargon. For example, when your teen says “turn up!” don’t reach for your volume controls but instead “have fun.” Open communication is key, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.
2. CyberBully Awareness
There are so many anti-bully mobile apps available now, but here are just a few you can consider for your family. Bully Ban is a new communications technology system in which you can simply text “help” to 96000 and designated authorities will be notified immediately. You remain anonymous. A few others are STOP!T, KnowBullying (for parents), and BullyBox (for school districts). Unfortunately, bullying is a widespread issue around the world, with one in seven students, in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying. So help yourself and your child be better prepared if bullying occurs on or off school property. This includes physical, verbal, indirect, and electronic bullying. Bullying is often a violation to the terms of service for social media sites and internet service providers. Remember to keep a record or take a screenshot of the incident. If you would like to pledge against bullying, you can also participate in Cartoon Network’s Stop Bullying: Speak Up Week, which begins on Sept 29, 2014.
3. Inner Beauty
Let’s face it. It’s not easy being an awkward teen. Research has shown that it is quite therapeutic for teens to blog about their thoughts. Blogging helps to gain more self confidence, too. So talk about proper online etiquette beforehand and monitor your child’s online behavior at all times. Be sure to follow your child’s blog, and have another parent follow your child’s blog, too. You can even create a family blog together for a more collaborative project. If you need more strategies to ease your worried minds, check out these parental controls for your devices like Mobicip, Net Nanny Social or Safe Eyes.
