Teens live online. Here are 3 ways adults can help them be safe and treat each other well while they do.
Do you watch your child sit with her eyes glued to a screen? Wonder what she is up to there? Most adults are less fluent in technology than our kids. That’s normal. Unfortunately, bullying and oversharing are normal teen behaviors too.
We have an obligation to teach our kids what they need to know to be safe and to be kind online. How can we do that if they know more about the media than we do? By getting our kids to teach us.
- Get a list of apps that your teen is using – just by asking him and his friends.
- Go to CommonSenseMedia or another reputable site and learn about those apps.
- Ask your child how people misuse these apps to hurt others.
- Get your own account and hang out online to watch what happens.
There is nothing wrong with letting our children mentor us in their online world. Everyone loves to be an expert – and most of our kids truly are!
