Talking to Your Kids About the Dangers of Social Networking
Kids use the Internet for hours upon hours each week. They can navigate themselves very well around the World Wide Web. Kids use the Internet to research for school papers or assignments, playing games, and social networking. Just because kids know a lot about using the Internet does not mean that they know very much about Internet safety. Kids do not always know when they are in danger on the Internet. They can be very trusting. Parents need to talk to their children about the dangers involved in social networking.
What is social networking
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| Take care on your child |
Kids probably do not even realize that they are “social networking” when they actually are. To them, they are just hanging out with friends using the Internet. Parents should begin by explaining that social networking is connecting with people who have similar interests, go to the same school, or are from the same place. Social networking, by definition, seems harmless, but there are a lot of hidden dangers.
What are some social networking websites
Some of the most popular social networking websites include MySpace and Classmates. There are other sites, such as Facebook, that seem safer than a website such as MySpace, but it is still considered a social networking site. Though these are some of the most popular social networking sites, these are only three of hundreds of the social networking sites available online.
Sexual predators
Kids may not be aware that there are people who are online that will lie about who they are so that they can harm them. Parents need to explain that there are people online, called online sexual predators, which are very dangerous. They may seem like a friend, and slowly get personal information out of the child. Their screen names may seem like a regular kid’s screen name so they can easily trick kids who are online social networking. A sexual predator’s profile will most likely portray someone they are pretending to be, even if they have pictures.
Parents need to explain to children that it is not okay to give out personal information about themselves to people they have met online. Giving full names, addresses, school names, phone numbers, birthdays, and any other type of personal information is very dangerous. Sexual predators can use any combination of personal information to find the child and harm them.
