OVERSIGHT

HELP! MY KID’S ALWAYS ONLINE!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO PARENT IN TODAY’S DIGITAL WORLD

Let’s discuss some caveats and concerns for parents in regard to supervision of activities in social media activities, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• But let’s also present a balanced picture and acknowledge some of the reported positives for social media technology:

• Increased criminal prosecution due to law enforcement agencies monitoring social media and tracking criminals foolish enough to brag about their crimes online.

• Countless people have reunited with long-lost friends and/or relatives.

• Evidence suggests some children perform better in school by discussing schoolwork and instructive topics through social media sites.

• Support groups on social media allow people to discuss health conditions, as well as share important information and resources relevant to their conditions.

• Job sourcing has gone modern thanks to social media. Sites such as LinkedIn are a major resource for recruiters looking to hire potential employees.

• Now let’s examine the unfortunate downside to social media, particularly as it relates to young people:

• With the advent of the Web, numerous people have created websites and blogs. While most are just harmless rambling, many sites have evolved into rumor mills or misinformation sites that distort or misrepresent important current events. Sadly, many people tend who visit these sites believe what they read because “it’s on the Web.”

• Though some children who use moderation in social media do better in school, there is also evidence to suggest pupils who spend too much time on social media sites have lower academic grades. Statistics show pupils who use social media too often tend to have GPAs of 3.06, compared to GPAs of 3.82 for pupils who don’t use social media.

• Social media results in less face-to-face communication. A 2012 study revealed that 32 percent of survey participants were either texting or logged onto social media sites when they could have been communicating with one another during family gatherings.

• Addiction is possible. There is also potential for children to become more introverted as they spend too much time alone, using social media as the only means of interacting with others. Personal, face-toface interaction is critical to developing social reasoning skills in young people.

• Perhaps the most serious threat to our children’s welfare is cyberbullying. Most tragically, cyberbullying has driven numerous young people to suicide. Even more prevalent is the danger of sexual predators lurking in cyberspace.

Neuroscience has made massive advances, and there is now evidence of continued brain development associated with social-emotional maturity, self-image and judgment that continues well into the early 20s.

With that in mind, parents should be vigilant in monitoring their children when it comes to social media. How? First, maintain a close and open relationship with your child and be aware of changes in attitude and demeanor. Make sure privacy settings on your child’s social networking sites limit access of strangers or potential predators. Educate your child about the dangers of being online and talking to strangers. Make sure he or she knows to never meet with anyone they meet online, whether it’s another child or not.

Technology is here to stay. There are good and bad aspects of your child entering the virtual world. The best way to protect your child is to make yourself available to talk at all times. And stay up to date by conducting your own Internet research for helpful ideas to monitor and manage your child’s Internet use.