Teens Internet Safety

Teens and Internet safety are a very important topic to consider. The Internet has been a very powerful tool assisting business and technology today. The increased communications available to the teens of today far exceeds the imagination of those from the previous decade. Along with the increase in technology, is an increase in predators finding teens online. Teens may minimize the dangers associated with online safety. Parents will need to spend additional time working with their teens regarding the dangers associated with the Internet. Parents may want to install filters, and blocks that will prevent a teen or a younger child from accessing sites or chat rooms online that may present some danger. There are many stories about teens talking with someone they believe to be their own age that is in reality much older. There have been reality shows about teen predators that believe that they are talking to a young teen, that is really an under cover policeman. The reactions of these predators when caught are remarkable. The point is clearly made that teens can not trust those they are chatting with.

Don’t Talk to Strangers

Nearly every child was raised with the basic concept that it is not good to talk to strangers. This principle should also apply to online strangers. Many teens are tricked into rendezvous with strangers every year. Some end ok but others turn out tragic. Parents should be involved in places their teens go online. There are programs available to assist parents in monitoring their teen’s online behavior. There are programs that will allow parents to actually view or “mirror” the screen their teen is looking at. There are other programs that will send a message to parents informing them of their teen’s Internet searches for the day. Parental involvement is imperative to their children’s safety.

Keep Personal Information Personal

Another way to assure that teens are protected is to teach them to keep personal information personal. If someone online is asking specific questions about where they live, go to school, or their phone number, red flags should immediately go up. If a parent has done their job teaching their teen about Internet predators, they just might refrain from giving personal information out to a stranger online. Just because a parent teaches a teen to remain anonymous online, does not mean that they will. Like anything, a teen ultimately has the ability to choose to follow parental advice or not. Parents would be wise to take the time to teach their children about Internet safety. They would also benefit from monitoring their teen’s Internet activity.