10 Ways to Protect Your Kids from Catfishing
February 14, 2013 § Leave a Comment
Catfishing, or faking the identity of another person online to have a relationship, is not that hard for a teenager to fall for. Predators are adept at exploiting a teen or tween’s tendency to take people at their word. Ten rules for using the Internet can help them avoid falling victim to catfishing.
- No screen names that suggest your name or age (tyler14), gender (sk8r_gurrl), or are suggestive (longlegs in CA).
- Only friend people you know and have met in real life.
- Don’t agree to meet in person with people you only know online.
- Ignore private messages or emails from people you don’t recognize.
- Don’t talk about sexual topics in chat rooms, particularly with strangers or people you don’t really know.
- Avoid posting photos of yourself, especially ones that could be seen as suggestive. Never send a picture of yourself to a stranger for any reason.
- Stay away from X-rated sites and social networks that have a reputation for being “hookup” sites.
- Never agree to lie to your parents or hide something from your parents at the request of an online friend.
- Keep identifying information about yourself, and your friends, completely private.
- Know that your parents will be monitoring your online activities.
Of these ten tips, the last is most important. Of course you should educate your kids all you can about how to avoid predators catfishing online, but the truth is that YOU are the only real thing standing between them and danger. Let’s face it, kids make mistakes. If you are not using a service like uKnowKids, how would you know if your child is falling victim to catfishing before crisis hits?
Predators are experts at tricking even the most careful teens into doing things they ordinarily wouldn’t do, and the only way to catch them at it is to monitor your child’s online communications. Talk to your kids about this important role that you play in their safety to find the right balance between your need to keep them safe with their desire to become more independent users of technology.
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Tim Woda is a passionate advocate for protecting children from today’s scariest digital dangers – cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. He is the co-founder of uKnow.com, developers of uKnowKids.
How To Talk About Sexting With Your Kids
December 13, 2012 § 1 Comment
Parents agree that teen sexting – sending suggestive or nude pictures via text – is a serious problem. But in talking to teens, I routinely hear phrases like “It’s no big deal” or “everybody does it” or “it’s just flirting” that would blow their parents’ minds. When there’s such a wide divide between teen and parent on the sexting issue, communication is essential.
If you don’t know how in the world to approach the topic with your child, or what to say when you finally do, you’re not alone. Here are some tips for getting a conversation started.
- Start talking early. Although the teens most likely to sext are in the 16-17 age range, kids sometimes send or receive their first sext as young as 12 or 13. Don’t wait to start talking about sexting until it’s too late. And never allow your child to have their own phone before you’ve talked about sexting.
- Use current events to start a conversation. If a celebrity or public figure was just caught sexting, or if there was recently a problem in your child’s school, it presents a perfect opportunity to talk. If not, you can always say, “I read this study about sexting today… what do you think about it?”
- Listen first. Give your child the first opportunity to tell you what they think about sexting. They might not say what you expect them to say. Empathize with the fact that most kids who sext say that peer pressure was a major factor in their decision.
- Talk about consequences. Teens are impulsive by nature and may not realize the gravity of sexting. Hitting ‘send’ puts that picture out of their control forever. Your child could also face legal consequences and school discipline.
- Never forward a sext. If your child ever receives a sext, they should delete it immediately. Forwarding a sext could ruin someone’s life, and it could make your child guilty of distributing child pornography.
- Repeat the conversation. When things are important, you never tell them to your child just once. Repeatedly talking about sexting sends the message that this is important, and it allows you to keep tabs on your child’s evolving attitudes about sexting as he or she grows older.
- Monitor your child’s phone. As the parent, you have the absolute right to know what’s going on with your child’s phone. If fact, you have an obligation to know what’s going on with your child’s phone. Services like uKnowKids alerts you to dangerous activity and helps you keep your child out of something he or she will later regret.
Even with these tips, sometimes your conversations about sexting are going to be awkward. And that’s okay. Your kids will forgive you. Maybe they won’t ever say so out loud, but they will be glad one day that you cared enough to talk about it.
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Tim Woda is a passionate advocate for protecting children from today’s scariest digital dangers – cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. He is the co-founder of uKnow.com, developers of uKnowKids.
Internet Safety: Tips To Keep Your Children Safe
November 1, 2012 § Leave a Comment
While the Internet is a wonderful thing, allowing us to shop online, communicate with those who are miles away, and have instant access to the money in our banks, it can be a very dangerous place for our children. As a parent, your child’s safety is your top priority. And in this day and age of technological advances, Internet safety needs to be of your biggest concerns.
Encourage Open Conversation
The best thing you can do is encourage a lot of conversation with your child about what they are doing online. These discussions should be as easy for you as discussing their latest homework assignment or the possibility of taking Karate classes. Be sure that your kids understand the need to be safe online. Discuss the websites your child visits and look at those websites yourself to be sure they’re safe.
Make Rules And Stick To Them
There’s nothing wrong with establishing some rules regarding your child’s Internet activity. There should be established guidelines regarding how often your child can use the computer as well as for how long. This will help you to monitor their activity as well. It’s important to resist the urge to “bend” the rules as well, even though it can be tempting to award your child with extra computer time for good behavior.
Become A Part Of Your Child’s Online World
Use a Parental Intelligence System to stay connected to their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Myspace. Friending your child on Facebook isn’t enough. Be sure that you know their passwords and periodically check their accounts to monitor their activity. You’re not invading their privacy. Be sure your child knows that you’re going to monitor their online behavior to deter them from risky conversations or activity that they know you don’t approve of. Remember, the goal is to teach them to govern their behavior and make better choices.
Your child can still use the Internet and remain safe as long as the proper precautions are in place. Involved parenting will show your child how much you care and you will become aware of any problems before they become disasters.
Tim Woda is the co-founder of uKnow.com, developers of uKnowKids™ – the world’s leading parental intelligence system.
