by Carrie Silver-Stock, MSW
Teen Expert and Award Winning Author

Carrie Silver-Stock

Sexting and Digital Bullying

A recent AP-MTV poll confirmed over 25 percent of young people have been involved in sexting.  This is a form of sending explicit messages or nude pictures electronically as a text message or sharing online.  It went on to report that 50 percent of young people surveyed said they have been targets of digital bullying.

Because of these dangers it’s normal for some parents to not want their child online or to have any access to these devices.  However, it’s important for both parents and young people to get educated about the risks and then make choices. 

Tips to Help You Talk with Your Teen

As you get ready to talk with your kids, the following information provides you with  key tips about how to keep them safe when going online or using their cell phone. 

1.  Know What Your Child is Doing

It’s easy for parents to get so busy they forget to really pay attention to what kids are doing online and with their phones.  Don’t fall into this trap.

Keep the computer in a central location, watch their behavior with their cell phone, and check out their social media pages occasionally.  Some parents even ask their kids to turn in their phones at night to make sure they’re not texting throughout the night. 

It’s a fine line between respecting their privacy but also making sure nothing inappropriate is happening online.   

2.  Don’t Assume this won’t Happen to Your Kid

Every parent wants to think this would never happen to their child, but your kids can be exposed to these dangers anytime.  Even if they aren’t the actual ones sending an explicit message or bullying someone else online, they might be around friends who are, or in the room when this happens. 

Haveconversations about these dangers ahead of time.  Talk with your child about different ways to deal with peer pressure…they’ll be better prepared if this does happen to them. 

3.  Watch for Behavior Changes

In addition to watching how your child behaves with their computer or cell phone, watch for specific behavior changes.  For example, have they changed friends?  Are they eating or sleeping a lot more or less? 

If you notice major changes this could be a clue they are struggling.  It might be related to something online like cyber bullying, or connected to another area of concern like depression or problems with friends.  Bring up what you notice to your child.  If they deny anything is wrong, keep a close eye on them and check in with others who interact with them like teachers or coaches. 

What Do Teens have to Say About This?

And finally who better to help you understand more about these issues than teens!  Following is a video that was made by two Teen members of the GirlswithDreams.com teen social networking site.  In the video, the girls are speaking to other teens…not their parents.

I’ll be sharing more tips in future articles on keeping your kids safe online…but till then, please let me know what other questions and/or challenges you are facing with your teens and tech gadgets.  Your comments and questions will help all of us!

Carrie Silver-Stock, MSW, LCSW, is a social worker and the founder of  Girlswithdreams.com, a social networking site that provides support, advice, and tips on the issues girls struggle with most.  She is the award winning author of Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence (HCI). Carrie is a freqeunt keynote speaker on issues facing teen girls and also on parenting teens.

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Related posts:

1. Keep Your Kids Safe Online: Empower Them to Make Good Choices!
2. Teen Girls Unite to Empower One Another…
3. Six Keys to Help Teen Girls Handle Peer Pressure