Online Safety Top Areas of Concern – Fast Facts Cyberbullying 43% of teens say they’ve experienced it in past year 1 More prevalent among girls (59% girls, 41% boys) 2 Most parents worry their kid is/will be victim, but not that they’re the bully Inappropriate Material/Activities 19% of teens admit to engaging in ‘sexting’ 3 Almost 50% of teens admit they proactively hide online behavior 5
Online Safety Top Areas of Concern – Fast Facts Predators 69% of teens say they are regularly contacted online by people they do not know; about 30% respond, and most do not tell an adult about it 4 Too much sharing Nearly 10% of teens have posted their cell phone numbers online 4
Online Safety Best practices - Home Location, location, location Computers/laptops should be used in open area Cover webcams (Why? Google “webcam hijacking” to find out!) Consider installing filtering/monitoring software: Tell your kids it’s there and what it does Software is not a substitute for supervision Establish agreed-upon limits for: Time spent online Specific online activities Acceptable sites Improve your Net knowledge Take a class, research apps & games, learn from your kid
Online Safety Best practices – Mobile Devices Consider parental controls Offered by all major carriers Some (including Sprint & AT&T) offer “drive mode” for teenage drivers Insist on reviewing/approving contact list Research apps your child uses/wants Is there a valid reason for its use? Do you know the features of the app? Set limits on texts, photos & videos
Online Safety Best Practices – Social Media Talk with kids about protecting their privacy! Sites that say they have age limits really do not Used correctly, social media has value; however, not all sites have value Once something is posted or sent, retrieval is impossible
Online Safety Best Practices - Gaming Webcams/voice chats should be discouraged STRONG firewall/antivirus/passwords are a must STRONG firewall/antivirus/passwords are a must Use avatars, not actual pictures Set time limits – and stick to them Don’t accept downloads of ‘cheat codes’ Challenge your kids to a game!