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tweens
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Safety in a Tween’s Digital World by KELLY GOEDE
Back when I was a tween, I was basically a social ninja. I could play a video game (all right, Atari), eat a meal and have a crush on a boy, and no one was the wiser, unless I chose to somehow broadcast the highlights of those activities to my friends at school or on a phone call to Grandma. The Internet had not been invented yet, and my camera used film. Fast forward one generation, and now my children have ridden the technological wave, washing over me in the process and leaving me on the shore wondering what just happened. The speed of a tween’s interactions is now almost instantaneous. As a parent to a tween who has computer access (and one day cell phone access), I simply cannot wait for something horrific to happen to my child online before I educate myself on what is appropriate and safe for her to use. Safekids.com offers some of the most important tips for tweens to stay cyber-safe. A few suggestions are not giving out personal information without parents’ permission, telling parents right away if something makes them uncomfortable and talking to parents about posting pictures. The site offers several additional tips that would be helpful for parents and tweens to review together, preferably before online activity begins, and in ensuing discussions as the child grows older and more tech savvy. As much as we feel we can trust our children, without the proper safeguards installed on all devices, tweens may find inappropriate material when searching for something benign. Many parental control apps exist to assist parents in making sure adult content stays away from your tween’s screen. A pinch of proactivity will prevent a pound of guilt and regret if your child virtually winds up somewhere inappropriate, so do your homework to investigate and install parental controls. And then exercise your own parental control and get involved in what your child is doing online.
As parents, we cannot afford to be cyber-ostriches, sticking our heads in the sand and hoping for the best. ✽
Giggle Tip! Give your tween an email address on Kidsemail.org. Parents can monitor emails and set blocks, safety rules and time restrictions, while still allowing your child to have his own personal email address.
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❉ Visit Techrepublic.com for reliable parental control apps to install on your devices. ❉ The minimum age for Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram is 13 years old. Stick to it. And once your child is on those sites, “friend” him. ❉ For tween-friendly sites, visit your child’s school’s homepage. Most offer links to school-approved sites. ❉ Visit Todaysparent.com for a list of 30 fun and safe kids’ websites. ❉ Set limits for time spent doing anything electronic (amount of time and time of day). ❉ Keep the computer in a high traffic room so you can easily keep tabs on what your child is up to while online.
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According to Deputy PJ Mauldin, School Resource Officer at Wiles Elementary, “If you’re going to allow your kids to do something online, you need to be involved as well. Parents let kids play video games but may not realize that child predators use online gaming to contact children. One in four children who use online gaming will be contacted at some point by some type of predator or someone with criminal intent.”
Mom-to-Mom Tips to Keep Your Tween Safe Online