It\u2019s been a busy time for our Internet Safety for Kids & Families (ISKF) team. Our outreach efforts at schools are gathering some great momentum, with our volunteers doing close to 80 events for parents and kids in the US over the past 3 months (and many more around the world). \u00a0In our work, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to help kids and parents and share our expertise about positive, responsible, and safe technology use.\u00a0 But after working with thousands every year for the last decade, we\u2019ve also learned a few things along the way.<\/p>\n
With over half of U.S. kids now owning a smartphone by the age of 11<\/a>, parents are understandably anxious. \u00a0During our events, parents share their concerns about their child\u2019s safety and well-being and worry about the risks of overuse, oversharing, bullying and other issues that seem to be around every corner<\/a>. \u00a0While we\u2019ve seen an increase in parent engagement and general knowledge about online issues and countermeasures in recent years, they still talk about feeling ill-equipped to provide their kids with the right guidance (despite kids wanting very much to turn to them first for help online when they need it).<\/p>\n One of the biggest challenges facing parents is how to engage with their kids online, and even, whether they should at all.\u00a0 To help parents navigate this minefield we ran a Twitter poll in September, under the hashtag #AskAStupidQuestionDay. Sometimes parents, and kids alike for that matter, can be embarrassed to ask questions on topics they care about for fear of seeming dumb or out-of-touch. But misinformation and bad practices thrive in the absence of knowledge. The truth is, when it comes to our children\u2019s well-being, there are no stupid questions.<\/p>\n In our poll, we asked parents to choose from a list of questions they were most interested in. \u00a0Topping the list was whether they should \u201cfriend\u201d their kids on social media. \u00a0After all, you\u2019d talk to each other in the real world, so why not say \u201chi\u201d once in a while on Facebook, Instagram and other social sites you\u2019re both users of?<\/p>\n There are pros and cons to being one of your kids\u2019 friends on social media.<\/p>\n On the positive side, we should encourage kids to be selective about who they connect with online and help them feel that they have some control over it.\u00a0 By keeping their accounts private they not only protect themselves, they are also empowered to decide who can see what they are posting and who is in their social network.\u00a0 Ideally, these would be people they know and trust (and hopefully, that includes you!)\u00a0 Obviously, being in their social network means you can see and comment on their posts, know who else they are engaging with online, and have the opportunity to engage with them in some meaningful way.\u00a0 For some kids, being friends with their parents online isn\u2019t a problem as long as there are boundaries.\u00a0 And parents should know that this isn\u2019t a complete answer to knowing everything your child is doing online.\u00a0 Everyone, including them, still has the option to share with a smaller group (or even a single person through direct messaging within the social media app), but it\u2019s still a way to be involved.<\/p>\n On the flip side, some might argue that asking their children to friend them on social media is tantamount to invading their privacy. Many parents I\u2019ve spoken with want to monitor their kids\u2019 online use, but are loathe to be seen as spying.\u00a0 You don\u2019t listen in to their phone calls with friends, so why would you want to monitor their online conversations?\u00a0 Kids may also choose to manage multiple accounts in order to separate friends from family, which doesn\u2019t completely defeat the purpose of friending your kids since it\u2019s still away to model good online citizenship and engage them in a way that matters to them.\u00a0 But as in real life, kids (and we adults) behave differently depending on who they\u2019re with. Finally, parents may also want boundaries for themselves.\u00a0 You may want to share things or have friends who share things that are best kept away from your kids and their friends.<\/p>\nTo friend or not to friend?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Time to talk?<\/strong><\/h3>\n