Just about every law enforcement official I have spoken with about cyber technology and children encourages parents to teach their children responsible use.
Recently, cyber parenting blogger, Monica Vila, founder of OnlineMom, posted an article about tips for introducing your child to Facebook and grooming her to be a responsible user. One of the tips in particular is very pragmatic and strategic: starting off with a parent-child shared email address for the account.
Beverly Gable, psychologist with the Roseville Police Department, encourages parents to hover over their child’s cyber communications.
Starting off with a shared email account would enable you to maintain an ongoing dialogue about the nature of the posts and communications between your child and his friends because you will both be alerted to activity and can access the account.
According to Gable, Facebook can be an excellent tool to better understand your child and their friendships because it can make visible the dynamics of healthy or unhealthy communications.
The challenge has always been how to go about this in a manner that will promote bonding with your child, rather than the child feeling like you are looking for a reason to take the technology privilege away.
Remember that in sharing this thread of communication with your child, it is best if parents remain in “lurk only” mode. If you are correcting your daughter or correcting her friends on-line, it will not generate the sense of solidarity and confidence that children need to be good on-line citizens.
Have your child become the change they want to see.
If their friends are posting mean or inappropriate things, help your child address this with their friends directly.
Parent Resources
- Parenting in the Network Culture
- Don’t be bullied by the cyber wilderness: The Authority In Me
- Roseville Police Department
- TheOnLineMom
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