
I don't want her first experience iwith the internet's ugly side to be after she's long gone from my home and has no one to ask about dealing with it...
Now, I understand that most parents are much less socially savvy than I am, and I acknowledge that I even can be fooled and scammed. That being said, I must be there to guide my children in safe social networking.
I've participated in several parenting-aimed Social Networking discussions and what I always try to get across to parents is that the internet is a geographical location, just like the mall, the library, school or the skating rink. It poses the same risks, along with the same possiblities for enrichment.
Many parents that I speak to have taken the drastic step of cutting off the internet or disallowing MySpace in their home. However, while this cold-turkey approach is gratifying, it's the equivelent of shoving your fingers in your ears and singing, "I can't hear you, I can't hear you"...
Children who are not treated like their feelings matter and their thought are heard will rebel faster than you can say 'other people's internet'. If you don't think that your kids will find a way onto MySpace via proxy or via OPP, you are sadly unconnected with reality.
Taking away the internet has the potential to ruin your relationship with your teen and removes them from productive and enriching teen experiences via the online medium as well. Understanding the net is a prerequisite to college, career and future.
Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater... There are productive and healthy ways to enjoy social networking. I'll expound on them as the week goes by. Stay tuned for more on private profiles, healthy teen socializing, kid-safe and teen-safe sites and other safe social networking options.





At a loss for family-friendly online social networking? Searching for a Web-based community that’s easy to join and not just for younger people? Our-Social.com (http://www.our-social.com) offers a user-friendly environment free of profanity and pornographic material so that members can safely make new friends of all ages as well as connect with existing friends and family.
Our-Social discourages members from ever publicly displaying information such as their e-mail address, real name and geographical location. As another safety precaution, Our-Social does not have a chat area but does provide a members-only forum. The forum is moderated and has several different threads under the main categories of Family, Health, Faith, Pets and Social Stuff. In keeping with the site’s mission of providing a safe, clean environment, the forum does not allow images except for a profile picture.
Posted by: Terrie Myrick | November 26, 2007 10:12 PM | Permalink to Comment