SACRAMENTO - The average age of a child going solo on-line is 11 years, and increasingly personal accountability is imperative to maintain cyber safe living. Below are five trends impacting personal security.
Wireless Security. Internet security applications for smart phones will become more prolific and robust. More importantly, your house rules for using smart phones and applications offer opportunities to strengthen parent-child relationships and enforce cyber safe expectations. This examiner will be offering insights from local technology professionals, including Professional Computer Services in Granite Bay and Roseville.
Distracted Driving. Much like the campaign for seat belts and against drunk driving eventually established serious consequences and new norms, so too will distracted driving become less acceptable and more costly. According to Officer Adrian Quintero, with the California Highway Patrol, Valley Division, there are seven distracted driving campaigns planned, in addition to school presentations with the aim of changing cyber behavior.
Sexting and cyberbullying. As children receive mobile phones at earlier ages sexting and cyberbullying issues will continue to be a problem for youth. Education code and school district policies will be strengthened continue to address the cyber-powered distractions students experience at school.
Mental Health. Children’s mental health will continue to raise concerns as 24X7 access to the ‘Net’, with relatively few boundaries generate anxiety-bearing pressure. Dr. Dennis Harding, an upper cervical specialist in Auburn, is experiencing increased cases of teenagers and young adults with panic disorders, sleeplessness and depression.
Privacy. There will be more civil and legislative attention to privacy concerns of the large on-line service providers, such as Facebook, PlayStation, and Google. Andrew Lemar, spokesperson for California State Senate Speaker, Ellen Corbett, making profile information public, should be an opt-in feature. “People are not aware of the impact of sharing information in their friend communities that could go to the general public. This is an issue of great concern for parents,” Lamar said.
Parent Resources
- Parenting in the Network
- Parenting with confidence
- ImpactTeenDrivers
- California Highway Patrol, Valley Division
- Orthogonal Chiropractic (Anxiety in the Network Culture)
- Coalition for Placer Youth
(Ref:557-e)
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