I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for BGCA. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
If you didn’t already know, June is National Internet Safey Month. It’s a great reminder as a parent to sit down with your kids and discuss how to be safe on the Internet and how to avoid troubling situations such as cyberbullying.
As a blogger, I am always using the Internet and social media. It is an essential part of my job, so I have had to learn how to be tech-savvy. I feel like I know the ins and outs of what you should and shouldn’t do on the Interent and this has helped me teach my kids to do the same. However, that isn’t the case for all parents. In fact, one in three parents believe their teens to be much more tech-savvy than they are. Where do you stand? Take the Cyber Smart Parent Quizto find out!
My 12-year-old son has been going online for several years now and I would have to say that he is pretty tech-savvy. He is still learning how to do certain things, but it’s amazing how quickly he catches on! We do allow him to have an Instagram & Flickr account, mainly so that he can interact with friends from school and to show-off his Lego creations. For the most part it has been fine, but we have had to have a talk with him a few times about cyberbullying. Even at the tween age kids can be very mean behind a computer screen.
We came up with some rules for our household that you may find helpful, especially if you are just beginning to discuss Internet safety with your kids.
5 Internet Safety Rules for Kids
- No Facebook until 13 years of age (that is the legal age to have a Facebook account). We will most likely hold off on our son having an account until he is out of middle school to avoid drama and cyberbullying.
- No Internet usage behind closed doors. Our computer is in our family room for that reason.
- Don’t share personal information with anyone.
- Provide parents with passwords to any social media or email accounts.
- Inform parents of any cyberbullying or anything else that is inappropriate.
This month the Boys & Girls Club is once again running it’s Cyber Safe Futures campaign to spread awareness about Internet Safety. This year they have turned the tables have asked real life expert teens, the “CyberTribe,” to answer your cyber safety questions throughout the month of June.
As part of the Cyber Safe Futures campaign, the Q&A will be hosted on the CyberSafeFutures.org website where parents can go to learn more about cyberbullying, online privacy, social networking, and mobile smarts through an abundance of resources. BGCA is also entering everyone who submits a question to the CyberTribe into a raffle to win one of three grand prizes — an iPad and $500 to the Club of your choice!
I encourage you to check out the Cyber Safe site and take advantage of the resources available. While you’re there, make sure you submit your questions to be entered into the raffle!
Are you a Cyber Smart Parent? Take the Cyber Smart Parent Quiz to find out!
