There are quite a few things parents should know about social networking for kids. Social networking is on the rise among children and teens. As parents in the information age you can’t afford not to be proactive in laying down the law and setting standards for your child’s online and social networking activities. You can allow them to have some degree of freedom while monitoring from a safe distances and reminding them of all the potential risks and dangers that exist on the World Wide Web. Here are a few important facts to keep in mind when it comes to social networking and your kids.
The first thing parents should now about social networking for kids is simple. Your kids probably know as much, if not more, than you know about the mechanics of social networking, instant messaging, text messaging, emailing, profile building, and countless other words and phrases that mean next to nothing to you. You are starting out well behind your children when it comes to technology if you are just now opening your first social networking accounts. Most teens have these accounts link directly to cell phones and iPods. If you’re not monitoring what your kids are doing with their social networking accounts then you have a lot of catching up to do.
The second things parents should know about social networking for kids is this: kids are reckless. That is one that you didn’t need to be told but it bears repeating in this situation. All you have to do is look at the health hazards existing in the bedrooms (shoes in the middle of the floor, stuff growing in the far reaches of the corner, and no one needs to remind you of the toxic zone of death the average teenager calls a bedroom).
That being said, kids have no idea of the potential long-term consequences of their actions. It wasn’t terribly long ago that parents began teaching children about stranger danger. At that time it was a sign of how the world is changing. Now there is a new stranger danger kids and teens need to be aware of. You don’t have to lock your children away from the world but if you understand these two things parents should know about social networking for children it will help you stay motivated and vigilant in your efforts to protect your kids from potential social networking dangers.