Social networks surround us. Companies and television networks seek to get teenagers to use social networks by liking, following or tweeting about their products or programs. Social media is also a great place to keep up with family and friends. Although there is nothing wrong with either of these two situations, networks can be a dangerous space for young people. If you have a child who uses social media, it is important to take steps to protect their safety on the Internet.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Talk to Your Child About Social Media Safety
Step 1. Have a conversation about social media safety
Communicating with your child is important. The goal is for them to feel comfortable talking to you about social media and their experiences with it, and they should feel like they can turn to you if they have a problem. Open the communication channels so that your child feels comfortable to turn to you in any problem.
Explain to your child about social media safety. Tell them not to give out their personal information, such as their full name, their school name, their phone number or address. Help him understand the importance of not posting inappropriate images or updates. Make sure you have a conversation about the dangers of cyber predators and the reasons why you shouldn't run into anyone you only met online
Step 2. Make rules for your child
Talk to him about the rules you have regarding social media. These can cover any topic that concerns you. These are some examples:
- Do not allow your child to post where they are.
- Do not allow your child to post personal information.
- Restrict the number or type of photos you post.
- Set a time when your child can be on social media.
- Restrict which social networks you can join.
- Only allowing your child to follow or befriend people they know in person, such as classmates or family members.
- Let him share the password of all his accounts with you.
Step 3. Talk about the repercussions on social media
You don't have to worry that some predator will find your child. You have to talk to him about how to protect himself from himself. Posting embarrassing, questionable, or inappropriate photos can get you rejected by potential colleges or employers. Posting status updates that are rude, offensive, or questionable can also come back to haunt you later.
- Be sure to tell him that once he posts something on social media, it will be out in the world and hard to remove or retract.
- Talk to your child openly and promote an atmosphere of trust. Ask him to talk to you about his use of social media and about anything that makes him uncomfortable. If he makes a mistake, make it a learning moment instead of harsh punishment.
Method 2 of 3: Protect Your Child on Social Media
Step 1. Wait until your child is old enough to get a social media account
All networks have a minimum age requirement in order to create an account. These ages are determined to protect the privacy of children and youth. Do not allow your child to have a social media account if they are younger than the required age. When he reaches the minimum age, decide if you seem mature enough to create an account.
- In the case of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat and Pinterest, a person must be 13 to create an account. Although YouTube asks that you be 18, a person of 13 can create an account with their parents' permission.
- Vine and Tinder ask that the person be 17 to have an account.
Step 2. Befriend or follow your child
When he has a social media account, follow his account or become his friend. Talk to him about the sites he uses and if you don't understand how the site works, have him explain it to you. This will help you monitor what your child is doing online and who they are talking to.
- It is possible that your child has social networks that you do not know. Browse through the downloaded applications you have on your phone or see which applications you use to see which networks you have an account on.
- Keep in mind that some social networks have options that allow members to choose who sees the posts. Perhaps your child has you as a friend or you follow him, but he can filter the posts so that you cannot see them.
- You can also see what his interests are or if there is a problem with him if you read his posts.
Step 3. Give your child adequate privacy
As it grows, give it more confidence and privacy. This means that you should not review everything he does behind his back. However, you should keep an eye on what he does on the Internet.
- When a younger teen creates a social media account, make sure you have the passwords. This will help you monitor their online activities. For older teens, you can give them more privacy and let them have their private password.
- Check your internet history. Here you can see what sites your teen has visited. You can also check his phone. However, this could cause a problem with your child if he thinks you are invading his privacy and you do not trust him. Use common sense to determine how often and when you check these things. Maybe you're just checking internet and phone history for when your child gives you a reason not to trust him or when you think his privacy is at risk.
- You can also install applications like Net Nanny or Web Watcher. Your child will never know that these applications are on the computer and will alert you to situations that could endanger your child's safety.
Step 4. Have a shared computer
Another way to keep your child safe on social media is to have a shared computer. This means that the child will not have his own laptop in his room where he can hide what he does from you. Rather, he will use the computer in a central location in the house where you can monitor what he is doing.
Step 5. Make sure the global location setting is off
To protect your child, please turn off this function. Location settings allow social networks to add the person's location when they post a photo or update. Turning it off will prevent people from knowing exactly where your child is and the places he or she frequents.
The location setting could publish the city the person is in, the name of the restaurant or store, or even the address
Step 6. Learn the language of texting
Social media, text messages, and suggestive messages have their own language. Knowing it or knowing where to look for acronyms could help you know what your child is really talking about. Suggestive messages, in particular, have their own language and parents need to know it so they can address the situation if it arises.
Method 3 of 3: Protect Your Child's Privacy on Your Social Media Account
Step 1. Use the privacy settings
If you have a social media account, you probably want to share photos of your children. You do it because you love them and are proud of them. However, sharing photos of your children could put them at risk. When you share their photos, use the privacy settings for photos so that you can control who sees them.
- Use a setting that only allows people you follow to see your photos. You can also establish custom security settings, where you choose who you want to see the photos.
- Also consider making your entire account private so that you know who is viewing the information.
Step 2. Don't use GPS tagging
Your child is not the only one who will have to turn off the location settings. You should also turn off the location settings when posting pictures of your child. By leaving its location out of your social networks, you will be protecting it from possible predators.
Step 3. Don't befriend strangers
Social media is used to make friends and some people even use it to play with strangers. If you post photos of your child or talk about him, don't befriend people you don't know. Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. You can never tell if someone is a predator or not.
Talk to your child about accepting friend requests from strangers. Encourage him to never befriend strangers. Regularly review the list of people your child is friends with or follows. Ask him about anyone new or unfamiliar
Step 4. Take precautions with the information you share
People often share a lot on social media. This includes information about your children. Never give out personal information, like your child's full name, the school he attends, his birthday, or anything else. Even if they seem harmless to you, they could put your child at risk.
Step 5. Post smaller photos
If you want to post a photo, make sure it's low resolution. This will help reduce the risk of someone printing or enlarging it.
If you are very concerned about someone stealing your child's photos, put a watermark on them
Step 6. Do not post photos of other children
When your child is at a party or sleepover, make sure you never post photos of other people's children. Just post photos of your own child. If you want to post photos of a party with someone else's child, talk to the parent first.