Social Media for Kids, Part 3: Do's and Don'ts

It can't be denied: kids love social media. In fact, a recent study from the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 22% of teenagers are logging into their favorite social media sites more than 10 times per day! But with all of that social interaction comes a whole new slew of issues for our kids - everything from cyberbullying to inappropriate discussions and photo sharing. So how can parents help keep their kids safe when engaging in social media? Check out these do's and don'ts from the experts at Parenting.com:  

• Monitoring your child's account is key! Even though most popular social media sites have minimum age requirements for users (generally, age 13), there is no real way to enforce it. As parents, we can enforce the requirements by making sure our kids can't gain access until they are old enough (and mature enough, which sometimes cannot be measured by age) to use the sites appropriately.
• If your kids are old enough to have social media accounts, make sure their privacy settings are filtered to the strictest settings to ensure that their information stays private. If you're concerned about inappropriate interactions with others on social media, consider investing in filtering software, which can do everything from tracking online usage to blocking chats and inappropriate or unauthorized sites.
• We've said this before, but keeping the computer in plain sight, in a common area of your home where you can easily monitor your child's time and usage is ideal.
• Give your kids guidelines for their online time. Don't assume they can spot fishy attempts from hackers in the form of free giveaways or promotions. Make sure they understand how damaging an inappropriate post or picture can be to their reputation or others. Having clear expectations for online behavior helps keep your kids heading in the right direction.

As with most parenting issues, communication is instrumental in ensuring a positive experience for all. So talk with your kids about their online habits and favorite social media sites. Communicate the potential dangers and pitfalls of social media. And lead by example. We could all stand to put the phone down or get off of the computer sooner so we can engage in real interpersonal communication with our kids. Talking with your kids early and often about appropriate behavior online can save everyone a lot of heartache down the road.