Smart Phone Apps Every Parent Should Know About:
Catfishing: A ‘catfish’ is a person who creates a false online identity in the hopes of luring people into romantic relationships or scam them for money.
Red flags you should never ignore: (This could be a catfish)
-No Friends or Followers
-Avoids Meetings or Taking On The Phone
-They Have Few Pictures
-They Get Serious Way Too Fast
-They Always Seem to Need Help
-Their Stories Seem Far-Fetched or Unreal
Sexting: Talk to your kids about sexting and the consequences to these actions.
Sexting comes with legal consequences. Any nude photos or video of someone under the age of 18 could be considered child pornography, which is always illegal. Even if the sender did so willingly, the recipient can still get in a lot of trouble.
Laws Pertaining to Sexting in the State of Georgia. Currently, sexting falls under the State of Georgia's child pornography laws. In general, a teenager, who creates, distributes or possesses a sexually explicit image, could be charged with a misdemeanor or felony depending on the facts and circumstances (Age of the person in the photo, how many people you sent this photo to, the age of the person receiving the photo). If the photo/video is sent over state lines, you can be prosecuted by both states.
Private Information: Talk to your kids about what information they should keep private and who are the people they can and should share that information with.
For example, “Be protective of personal information. Your phone number and address enable people to contact you directly. Posting information like your birth date, the schools you attended, your employer and photos with landmarks may make it easier for someone to find where you live, hang out, or go to school. Also Keep your passwords private!!! Even from your boyfriends & girlfriends.”
Ghosts of Social Media: Explain to your kids that once something is posted on social media you cannot remove it from the internet. Even if you delete it. Try giving your kids this example:
Consider this, you snap a funny shot of the school’s new soccer coach bending over. Your friends think it is hilarious. The next season, you try out for the team and discover that the coach isn’t excited about having you on the team. She is concerned about your ability to show proper respect for the sport. You might be haunted by that old picture you posted the year before.
Some college applicants get haunted when colleges come across rude or even harassing behavior on line. Others find out when applying for a job that an old insult scares them out of a great job. You never know when a ghost will strike!!
Top Points to Remember:
-Only post things you want the public to see or know. Remember-once its online, it’s no longer under your control.
-Set boundaries and limits. Tell your friends not to post personal information about you in their statuses and posts on social media.
-Don’t do or say anything online that you wouldn't in person.
-Consider adjusting your settings so only your friends, not the general public, can see your updates on social media. Remember that abusive partners may find a way around your settings.
-Be careful when tagging locations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
-Teen Dating Violence uses social media on many different levels.