Chatting, texting and (horrors) sexting -- families need a 'family online-use plan,' - The social-media world is where many children and teens today spend much of their time. That means moms and dads have to develop a different parenting game plan than their own parents used, pediatricians said Monday.
Social media aren't bad things, the report notes, allowing kids to make friends, raise money for a good cause, get help with homework, share interests and forge their unique identities. On the flip side, there are the risks of cyber-bullying, sexting, Internet addiction, depression and loss of sleep from spending too much time online.
Families need to monitor kids' social-media activity, experts say. (Candace Jeanette Allen / For the Times)
Parents need a "family online-use plan," according to the authors of the report, entitled, "The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families." To do that, they said, parents should:
Social media aren't bad things, the report notes, allowing kids to make friends, raise money for a good cause, get help with homework, share interests and forge their unique identities. On the flip side, there are the risks of cyber-bullying, sexting, Internet addiction, depression and loss of sleep from spending too much time online.
Families need to monitor kids' social-media activity, experts say. (Candace Jeanette Allen / For the Times)
Parents need a "family online-use plan," according to the authors of the report, entitled, "The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families." To do that, they said, parents should:
- Become better educated about the technologies their kids are using.
- Emphasize the guidelines for healthy and appropriate behavior as part of the family online-use plan.
- Supervise online activities.
- Don't allow younger children on sites that have an age-13 minimum.
- Teach children that the social media sites they visit may capture information about them and target them for advertising. ( latimes.com )
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