A good friend of mine, Sarah Cook has a business that focuses on kids, specifically Raising CEO Kids. With three kids of her own who spend a great deal of time online Sarah knows what it’s like to be a parent of a “digital kid” as she calls it. Hear what Sarah has to say about raising digital kids and how being digital will affect their future below:
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Cyberbullying is a major concern among parents as this issue can affect their children. When this happens, the best defense is for parents to be proactive when dealing with their kids and their use of the internet. Here are a few tips in preventing and mitigating the effects of cyberbullying:
1. Communicate with your child.
Keeping your communication lines open with your child and you will notice if there are any changes in his/her behavior. If your kid is usually cheerful then suddenly becomes quiet, there might be something wrong going on.
2. If there are any inappropriate material received, print it out and file it.
Even if it seems odd to keep contents which contain those hurtful messages, you might need to record it when your child is bullied online. When things escalate to a higher level, this information might be of importance especially when law enforcement appears in the picture.
3. Educate your child on how to handle a cyberbully.
The best thing that your child can do is to ignore the provocations from the bully. It will only lead to further trouble of your child responds to false accusations posted on social networking sites and blogs. If the attacks continue, let them discuss with you what they think and feel about it. If you have a clear picture of what’s going on, you can approach the right persons who have frequent interactions with your child. If in case your child doesn’t know who the bully is, you might need to take the case into a next level and contact the law enforcers.
4. Make sure that your child doesn’t participate in bullying.
You have to make this clear with your child. This is more important of your child has also suffered from cyberbullying. Kids think that being rude to others through an online channel makes is less significant that it is said in person. Make your child understand that on the other end, somebody also gets hurt. If your child has a strong will, he/she might make her friends realize that cyberbullying is wrong. Teach her that aside from hurting other people, your child might hurt in the process as a consequence.
For more information about Internet Safety, please visit the website www.internetsafetynews.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_L_Watson
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5833344
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A year or so ago, I stumbled upon a series of PBS (Public Broadcasting Network) videos online that revealed how many kids are creating for themselves a totally different social identity online. Via the Internet they are able to escape their own seemingly (to them) boring lives and become someone they are not, but maybe they think that they want to be.
Whether it be a character on Second Life, creating an actual sex website that they get paid for, or they become known for their personality and charm that they may not show to those in real life. It is truly shocking what kids are able to do online that they might not ever do in real life.
The stories played out on these videos were stories of real kids who had gotten caught up in the web of the Internet and become someone else. In most cases, their parents were not aware of this at all, and in some cases the consequences once they were discovered were quite harsh.
Some of the things that kids can get involved with online are harmless, however do you know what “image’ your child is creating for him or herself online. If you haven’t taken into account what they are doing online and if you’ve never checked it out for yourself I’d urge you to start. While some kids merely use their online world as a place to be someone they aren’t in real life, others use it to boost their popularity offline. Taking semi-nude or nude pictures of themselves and displaying them online or sharing information about what they participate in, the possibilities are much scarier than you might guess.
As a former youth minister who has had much experience with teens I urge you to get involved. Don’t be afraid to ask your kids questions about their online activity. Always have access to their computer even if they have personal laptop or desktop PC. Always know their logins and passwords and be aware of where they “hang out” online. Don’t let technology scare you or get the best of you even if you aren’t tech savvy. If kids can do it so can you so don’t let that stop you from protecting your kid. Whatever you do start today being proactive about the image your kid is creating for him or herself online.
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