The internet has dramatically changed the way teens socialize and play.
Parents who aren't net savvy are at a disadvantage when it comes to the safety and welfare of their teens.
Do you know what web sites your teen is accessing? There are thousands of web sites accessed by teenagers every day. The most popular are chat rooms, instant messengers and online communities.
Teenagers are always making new friends and it is fun to meet people on line. Chat rooms are popular portal for teens to interact with others from around the world.
Unfortunately, this is where most teens are likely to get into trouble. Most chat rooms are unsupervised and users have names which allow anonymity.
With anonymity comes a false sense of security. Most teens feel safe conversing with others believing their identity is kept secret. This can lead to foul language, harassment, and cyber sex.
Instant messaging, commonly referred to as IM, is another popular communication portal for teens.
IM appears to be safer than chat rooms because usernames have to be approved by the receiver before messages can be sent.
IM is a practical tool for parents and children to communicate while parents are at work and children are at home. Parents should be aware that registration for IM services requires the creation of a profile or account.
During the registration process the teen enters information such as name, address, phone number, date of birth and other personal data. This information is then recorded in a database profile for all users to search and review.
Remind teens not to give out any personal information. When registering for web sites, teens should only divulge the minimum amount of information necessary to register.
Online communities like myspace.com and livejournal.com are steadily rising in popularity. These communities are web sites where teens can keep in touch with friends from school or make new friends from other schools.
Students enter their contact information and a description about themselves in a personal profile. The website allows users to view other profiles, share photos, journals, and post comments.
Teens should be warned not to post photos that display license plates, address or any other identifying information.
Parents have several resources at their disposal to help monitor their teen’s online activities.
There are software packages available to parents that monitor and record all websites visited, incoming and outgoing email, instant messenger activities, both sides of the conversation of chat rooms, and the user’s keystrokes in a report for the parents to review.
Some even like PC Tattletale (http://www.pctatttletale.com) provide periodic snapshots of screens and filtering of inappropriate material.