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"This recent example presents a teachable moment, however, that educators, students leaders and parents should seize. For many families, it's a two-way opportunity. Parents may have as much to learn about the various ways their children are communicating these days as they can teach about doing so responsibly."Cyberbullying is a growing problem that occurs not only on "gossip sites" but also in personal blogs, e-mails, instant messages, and even cell phone text messages. With so many different forms of communication available, parents have the tough job of teaching their kids how to use them all respectfully and responsibly. Read more at HeraldNet.com.
Labels: cyberbulling, internet, online_safety
posted by ByParents-forParents at 12:22 PM
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"As more and more kids begin to grow up online, parents are finding themselves on the outside looking in, struggling to remain relevant and engaged in their kids' lives. 'I remember being 11; I remember being 13; I remember being 16, and I remember having secrets,' one mother says. 'But it's really hard when it's on the other side.'"Danah Boyd, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School reminds parents that things like MySpace and Facebook can't just be turned off. Parents have to learn how to live in a society where these things exist, and teach their kids how to live in it as well. Read more at IndianaLawBlog.com.
Labels: internet, involment, online_safety
posted by ByParents-forParents at 7:02 PM
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"Internet offenders pretended to be teenagers in only 5 percent of the crimes studied by researchers at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. They also found that nearly 75 percent of victims who met offenders face to face did so more than once. Very few cases involved violence, stalking or abduction."Though this new information doesn't diminish the dangers of online predators, it gives parents and teens someone different to look out for. More than likely, it's an adult who's upfront about his or her age and open about wanting to initiate a sexual relationship. One of the best guards against this kind of activity is for parents to be aware of the relationships that their teen is developing, both on- and offline. Read more at TheGlobeandMail.com.
Labels: bullying, online_safety, violence
posted by ByParents-forParents at 8:57 PM
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Labels: internet, online_safety, teenagers
posted by ByParents-forParents at 12:40 PM
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"[Calsey] Merrit's friends though his mother was cool for having a profile on one of today's most popular Web sites, but her intention was not to win them over. She wanted to know what MySpace was about... In Greenville, S.C., mother of three Michele McClain says 'somebody asked me why did I have a MySpace page, and I told them to stay two steps ahead of my kids. Not on the same level, but two steps ahead of them.'"These moms are not alone. An increasing number of parents across the nation are logging onto to MySpace, and other social networking sites, to learn firsthand what their kids might be exposed to and to better understand how the sites work. Though parental presence on MySpace doesn't guarantee that kids won't get unwanted or unsolicited attention, it does give parents practical experience and information they can use to help keep their kids safe.
Labels: myspace, online_safety, parenting
posted by ByParents-forParents at 4:39 PM
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"'There's the perception when we post something online we're invisible, no one can see us,' she said. 'When you're invisible, you can engage in activity that might cause harm but the perception is that no one in authority knows who you are. It removes fear of detection. It makes them oblivious to the potential harmful impact on those who lost a teenager. They have no remorse because they're distanced from any concept of what harm they're actually causing.'"Nancy Willard, executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, and others remind parents that monitoring of a child's online activity is important not only for the child's safety but for the safety of others with whom he or she may be interacting. Read more at TahlequahDailyPress.com.
Labels: cyberbulling, internet, online_safety
posted by ByParents-forParents at 10:09 PM
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