How Much Is Too Much Information
P1. Some might say that parents can not control and monitor every move their child makes in their lives. And those parents that do, are labeled as the “controlling” and “overbearing” parents that tend to push their kids into wondering off and rebelling during their teenage years. Being that these teens were never able to make decisions for themselves do to their overbearing parents they start to experiment and follow those they tend to see as the “cool kids”. Middle and High School are were young teenagers tend to experiment now that they have built their mindsets and their personalities are starting to form. Social Media users are majority of the time young teenagers talking about their likes/dislikes, activities going on in school or after, or where everyone is hanging out this weekend. It is also where drama tends to start the most.
P2. When teenagers are on social media they feel a sense of freedom and the ability to express themselves that they might not feel due to stress of fitting in and being “normal”. The ability to fit-in during teenage years can be stressful to some that they find outlets through social media. Facebook is where these vulnerable teens open up to others they might have never talked to before or even just some random stranger. Looking for someone that can relate to their issues teens attract to anyone that gives them the attention they are seeking for. This can lead the teenager to be in potential dangers due to being unaware of who they are talking to and who the stranger really is and what their intentions are. Last year 15% of all teens reported unwanted sexual solicitations online in the last year.
P3. It is extremely important for teenagers to know the signs when a strangers intention might not be great. Some of the most obvious signs are when the stranger asks for your town, high school, or your favorites places to hang out during the weekend. They also might ask you for your schedule, what are your events on a day to day basis. This could be a trap for the predator to come and kidnap or do worser harm. Being female, using chat rooms, talking with people met online, and talking about sex with someone met online are all associated with risks for both aggressive and online solicitations states “Youth Internet Users at Risk for Most Serious Online Sexual Solicitations“.
P4. Parents can only control their children so much because they have to let them make their own mistakes and learn from their consequences. Although parents can prevent horrific events from happening to their children by informing them and constantly reminding them of the dangers that can occur in this world. Parents can speak to their children about “how much information is too much” by warning them to not talk or befriend strangers, not sharing their location, or posting where you are going to be at a certain time. Parents also have the right to look through their teens profile page and make sure they are not posting anything that can potentially put them-self in harms way. It is essential to have an open and trusting relationship with your child where they can open up about their feelings and understand the do’s and don’ts of Facebook.
P5. Parents can only warn and protect their child to a certain extent. It is the teens responsible to understand and be aware that they are not invincible just because they are behind a screen. Teens have this belief that horrific events will not happen to them but what most do not understand is every teen believes the same yet social media accidents happen more often than anyone thinks. According to Pure Sight Statistics one in five U.S teenagers who regularly visit Facebook say they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation. Solicitations were defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or give out personal sexual information. 75% of children are willing to share personal information online about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services. It is extremely important to apply privacy settings to your Facebook account. It does not fully protect you from all social media predators but it does help and make you less of a target.
P6. As a parent it is very important to notice the warning signs when your child is suffering from a social media dilemma. One of the most important signs are changes in school work, grades slipping. Another sign is losing sleep, your child might be constantly tired or complaining to get up in the morning. If you notice that your child is distracted most of the times and always has their mind else where, these signs are crucial for parents to talk to their teens and find out what is going on and try to resolve the situation. Parents talking to their teens and warning them of Facebook dangers can be the make or break decision weather your child is a victim of social media predators. Prevention efforts may have a greater impact if they focus on the psychological problems of teens instead of specific social media application states “How Risky Are Social Networking Sites”.
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