Suggestions for Addressing the Key Issues Facing Underage Children in

Social Media and the Internet

             There are several websites dedicated to educating parents, youth, and teachers about the dangers of social media and the Internet. Netsmartz.org is a website that is affiliated with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that educates all parties involved on the topic at hand. This website breaks down all the functions of social media that a person would need to know about in order to be educated on the topic. Furthermore, they give tips for parents on how to help children stay safe while using social networking sites such as:

• “check your child’s friend list”
• “teach your child to set profiles to private”
• “have your child remove any inappropriate content and photos”
• “check the profiles of your child’s friends”
• “report inappropriate behavior to the proper authorities” (15)

               Also, the website gives tips on educating children to stay safe from predators online. These include:

• “your child should never meet face-to-face with anyone they met online first”
• “teach your child to refrain from talking about sex with anyone they meet online”
• “teach your child not to give out personal information online” (15)

              This is not the only website that gives information on how to protect underage children online. There are many educational resources online on this subject including The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Bullyingstatistics.com, and Bullypolice.org.

                The Microsoft Safety & Security Center also educates kids and parents on staying safe online. Microsoft encourages parents to communicate with their children, set house Internet rules, ensure that your children are following age limit rules on social networking sites, educate themselves on the ins and out of the sites their children are frequenting, discourage children from using their last names and giving out personal information like addresses, and teach children about cyber-bullying (16).

              Parents of children born into the technology generation have new challenges to face. They must familiarize themselves with things that they have never had to deal with before. Currently there many threats that children encounter by their extensive use of technology. Social media is in the first years of really becoming a dominant form of communication. Children are bound to interact on these sites. So rather than ignoring the problem or thinking that children know more about these sites than parents do, parents need to make sure they are taking the necessary steps in order to protect their kids from solicitation, harassment, identity theft, and cyber-bullying. All of the tips that the websites I mentioned provide are a great way for parents to make a check list for themselves.

            Parents should also create profiles on the social networking sites their children are members of and befriend them so they can keep track of what they are saying, posting, and doing online. Parents need to openly communicate with their underage children about the dangers that can be present in any online community and make sure their children never feel too embarrassed to talk to them about any subject. Many times children feel ashamed about some of the things that are going on online and do not share with their parents. Talking to your children about problems they may experience online can prevent tragedies from happening such as kidnappings, molestation, and suicide.

            Schools also need to actively participate in educating their students about social media. School curriculums today are incorporating many of these sites into the student’s work and are responsible to educate children to be aware and wary of the threats that can be posed through extensive use of the Internet and social media. I believe that schools are as much responsible as parents in educating our youth about these key issues.

           Most importantly, parents, children, and their teachers should create a community that fosters open dialogue. Ensuring that every party involved is actively participating in communication and sharing the same goal of protecting children from the dangers that social media might present is a great preventative measure.