The majority of teens today are on one social networking site or the other. According to PRC, 74% of teens have a profile set up on social networking sites. Though social media is great in many ways, but it can also be dangerous for teens. Teens often tend to disclose personal information about themselves online, sometimes without any privacy settings; 47% teens have public profiles. This means that anyone can view their profile and misuse the information. There are over 750,000 online predators registered in the US alone. This means there is a high chance your teen can be contacted by one!
This high alarming number means that you need be extra vigilant and careful of what your teens share and post online. You should establish some rules about social media to keep your teen safe from online dangers like cyber bullying, cat fishing, etc. Along with these, you can use digital parental controls to monitor their online activities. To do all this, here are 3 social media strategies you should exercise:
1. Be A Social Media Literate:
Develop a good understanding of how social media works. Try and get to know all the social networking sites your teen uses and learn about the risks attached so that you can have meaningful discussions on online safety with your child.
2. Use Digital Parental Controls:
Once you have learned and communicated to your teen how to behave appropriately online and which sites to use. The next thing you can do is to use the digital parental controls like FamilyTime to:
- View your teens’ web-browsing history, along with the bookmarks
- View all the apps installed on their phone or tab
- Check app usage frequency to know their app preferences
- Blacklist any inappropriate apps
- Keep an eye on their contact book and see all the contacts saved there
- Monitor call logs to see all dialed, received and missed calls
- Check SMS history and know who does your teen talk to and what about
- Schedule auto screen locks on teens’ devices for specific time intervals and manage their screen time
- Remotely lock their phone to restrict their access to the device any time and anywhere
Al these features help parents manage social media consumption of their teens. There are a bundle of other features that help parents with location tracking of teens, setting speed limits, instant communication, and SOS alerts. All the features combined in one solution makes FamilyTime a prior choice for all the parents. Want to give this app a try? Go to your Google Play Store or click on the button below:
3. Tell Them To Think First Share Later:
Teens can be very impulsive and post something on social media in haste can lead them into trouble. Always encourage your child to give some thought to what they post online and how they react to someone else’s post. Tell them that they are growing up now and you trust them to act responsibly.
Don’t Let Them Put Their Future At Stake!
A bad image on social media can have a great impact on their future. Colleges and future employers will be looking at their social media activities. Explain to them how inappropriate photos and comments can haunt them even years later; what is posted online stays online forever. Use digital parental controls to manage their digital identity. Make the internet a happy place for them!