The best thing about the internet is a wealth of information available at your fingertips for college prep. You can find college advice, testing help, college visit information, financial aid information and everything you need to know about individual colleges. But with every good thing, there are dangers lurking in the shadows. Researching college topics is good, other social media activities might not be as safe–what is your teen doing online?
My grandsons are already familiar with their parents’ smartphones. My 5 year old grandson can access games, turn Netflix on and off, and use Facetime on his own. My 2 year old grandson knows that the phone gets him access to cartoons anywhere, anytime. I can’t imagine what it will be like when they both become teenagers because it’s a very scary online world. If you don’t believe so, read this article from Smart College Visit: A Parent’s Greatest Fear.
The Liahona Academy did some real research about teen’s online activity on social media. Based on this information, if you aren’t taking an active role in your teen’s online life you are burying your head in the sand. Years ago teens snuck out of the house to engage in risky behavior. Today it’s easier than it has ever been with the use of a smartphone to hide online activity from parents.
If you don’t believe me, here are some sobering statistics from the above mentioned study:
- 55% of teens have given out personal info to someone they don’t know
- 29% of teens have been stalked or contacted by a stranger
- 29% of teens have participated in cyber bullying
- 24% of teens have had private or embarrassing info made public without permission
- 22% have been cyberpranked
and…
- Only 34% of parents check their teen’s social network sites
Are those stats cause for concern? Based on these responses those stats should be:
- 67% of teenagers say they know how to hide what they do online from their parents
- 43% of teens say they would change their online behavior if they knew that their parents were watching them
- 39% think their online activity is private from everyone, including parents
- 20% of teens think their parents have no idea what they are doing online
- 18% have created a private email address or separate social networking profile
- 10% have unlocked parental controls to disable filtering
and…
- 38% would feel offended if they found out their parents were spying on them with parental controls
It’s time for parents to wake up. It’s no longer acceptable to ignore your teen’s online activity.. They may be the best behaved, best mannered and most respectful teenagers. But there is a world out there full of online predators waiting to pounce on naive teens who post on social media.
What social media tools are teens using?
- Pinterst
- Pheed
- YouTube
- Kik
- 4chan
- Askfm
- Vine
- Tumblr
- Snapchat
For more information about each of these and how they pose a threat to your teenager, you can access the infographic here: What Your Teen is Doing on Social Media. The infographic also provides information on how to get involved, how to monitor online activity, how teens hide their browser activity from their parents, and most importantly, some monitoring tools for parents. Parents will also find 10 Online Activities Every Parent Needs to Talk About With Their Teens.
This is one of the most concise and helpful infographic I have seen informing parents about online activity and giving tools to help them monitor it. You wouldn’t allow a predator or stranger in your home, don’t let it happen on social media.