Most parents think that they know what their children are doing
while online but seventy percent of youth have admitted to hiding their
online activities. Most youth have also said that they don't turn off
their GPS locators on their phones and they don't use the privacy
settings. Also a lot of them have posted their home addresses online. No
matter how many times we tell our children to not post things, or to be
careful about what they do online, they do it any way.
There are
so many teens using phones now and not just to talk. They are used for
texting, surfing social media, pictures, and even sexting. They also use
iPads, iPods, tablets and other devices to do these things so all of
these things should be monitored closely by parents or guardians. Most
teens have posted things online that they later regretted and most
parents are not even aware of it. Research has also shown that over half
of the kids aged ten to seventeen admitted to posting risky comments or
photos online and use their mobile devices to hide this type of online
behavior from their parents.
Kids are also using these devices,
especially cell phones as a means to bully others. Bullying is a huge
problem and it needs to be addressed immediately if found on your
child's phone or other devices whether it is your child being bullied or
your child doing the bullying. Bullying can lead to a lot more than
regrets, it can also lead to job loss, or even death. We have seen it on
the news time and again where someone commits suicide due to bullying.
They need to realize that rumors, or humiliating someone online is wrong
and that it can have life changing consequences for them and the other
person that can't be taken back. They need to know that what they put
online is there forever and this is something that parent's need to talk
to their kid's about so that it doesn't happen to them.
These are
just a few reasons that children should not get a cell phone at a young
age and when they do get one, the parents need to monitor it closely so
that they know what their children are doing. Children are so smart
when it comes to technology that we as parents sometimes are lost as to
what to do. Just keep a close eye on them and learn as much as you can
about technology so that you can keep them safe.