If your child has any aspirations of running for political office at some point in her life, Wikileaks offers a great teaching moment about how one should manage his or her reputation – both online and offline – very closely. The wrong photo, video or comment, however innocent, may come back to haunt your child when she’s being vetted by Congress for the Presidency, or any political office for that matter – this includes diplomatic office. While fostering open conversation at home or in the classroom regarding the historical meaning of the Wikileaks events can be useful, publicly posting comments, 'Likes' for certain Facebook pages, or even negative opinions about a politically controversial topic like Wikileaks may make oneself vulnerable to possible surveillance, attack by online hackers defending Wikileaks, or political scrutiny.

This week’s Huffington Post article titled “State Department To Columbia University Students: DO NOT Discuss WikiLeaks On Facebook, Twitter” raised a red flag for those who might associate themselves via social network comments, tweets or blog postings about Wikileaks. A follow-up post by Change.org mentioned that the dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs made a statement in response to the news stories that students were in fact free to discuss Wikileaks on social media, which seems more like a wise public relations move on behalf of the University, than prudent career advice to its future diplomats.

If there’s one thing that the recent Wikileaks controversy has brought to light, it’s that almost nothing – even super secret government diplomatic cables – remains private when information given to the wrong hands is ‘leaked’ online. Despite the fact that the Wikileaks site itself has been shut down, hundreds of ‘mirror’ or duplicate sites have popped up around the world. And once information is spread online – however true or untrue – it becomes nearly impossible to ‘retract’ that information and make it disappear, much to the dismay of the U.S. State Department.

If, instead of secret government cables, we were talking about a secret that your child had shared with her BFF on Facebook, a similar privacy fiasco could ensue. For example, if your child's BFF friendship goes sour and that trust is breached, it’s possible that your child’s former friend could turn into a cyberbully against her and publish confidential information or uncompromising photos, causing both emotional and reputational damage to your child.

Make sure your child is aware of the risks in sharing information on Facebook, photo sites and even text messages. Advise your child against posting anything online that would compromise her online reputation or your family's privacy if the information fell into the wrong hands. Even if your child's privacy settings are set to the strictest levels, make sure she's aware that anything she posts on a social network could be ‘breached’ and become public knowledge overnight.

Think before you post, and teach your child to do the same. Get SafetyWeb to be alerted automatically as soon as your child's privacy settings change, or his or her posts become worrisome and warrant further review.

“Just about all of us have a digital dossier, but many of us have no idea what it even is,” says the narrator in the video. The voice continues, “Your dossier is the accumulation of all the digital tracks that you leave behind, and this accumulation did not just start last week, month, or even year. It started before you were even born.”

The video takes the viewer on a journey with a fictional character named “Andy” so that we may see exactly how Andy’s digital identity is created (from birth) and modified as he grows older. Andy’s digital dossier includes photographs posted on Flickr, personal information shared on Facebook, Google searches, Amazon book purchases, credit card transactions, GPS data collected by his cell phone carrier, additional personal details included on his blog, and more.

The Digital Natives video is an eye-opening viewing experience for individuals who are unaware of the vast amount of information that is connected to them and stored digitally. We encourage both teachers and parents to share this visual representation about digital dossiers with children and teenagers. Our hope is that it will help them to understand how online identities are created and change over time. With this knowledge, teens and kids alike will have a new appreciation for the importance of monitoring their online reputations, and pay close attention to the information they share digitally from this point forward.

You can also read more about Digital Dossiers on NetFamilyNews.org, written by Anne Collier (who also participates on SafetyWeb's Product Advisory Council). We're glad that there is so much interest from educators, parents and industry leaders in helping promote awareness about the important of knowing exactly what your child's digital profile contains, and what affect that might have on their future.

Interested in more? Follow us (@SafetyWeb) on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Promoting this trend are websites like Incostume.com, Yandy.com, and Anniescostumes.com which each feature a “sexy teen costume” category that is marketed directly to young girls. In fact, Miley Cyrus’ 9-year-old sister, Noah, made big news last year after she appeared at a celebrity Halloween party dressed as part dominatrix/ part sexy vampire. (See photo).

This Halloween, we will most likely see a slew of young girls dressed up as the uninhibited Lady Gaga, and donning skin tight dresses like Snooki from “The Jersey Shore,” or wearing suggestive short shorts and cupcake bras like Katy Perry in her “California Gurls” music video.

Teens will most likely flock to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to post what they think are merely fun Halloween photographs. Unfortunately, many children are unaware that these photographs can be viewed by virtually anybody and can directly affect their online reputations, potentially jeopardizing their chances of being accepted to a dream school or hired by a future employer. After all, once the photographs are posted online, they are permanent fixtures in cyberspace and help to define a child’s digital footprint forever.

Other girls may feel compelled to capture racy Halloween photos with their cell phone cameras and then send them to friends or boyfriends. They may not realize that sending (or receiving) sexually-charged photos is called sexting and in many states, is actually against the law.

So, aside from paying close attention to what your teen or tween is wearing this weekend, we should all do our part in educating our kids about online safety. Let’s explain the possible consequences of posting inappropriate photos online in a way that they can understand. Let's remind them to maintain their privacy settings on social networking sites, and let’s tell them that sending explicit photos to anybody can be considered a crime. Lastly, let’s take careful steps to help them understand the importance of managing their online reputations and prevent them from putting their futures at risk.

On that note, SafetyWeb would like to wish all of our loyal readers and subscribers a very "spooky" and safe Halloween.

Interested in more? Follow us (@SafetyWeb) on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Some teachers believe there is nothing wrong with linking to students (past or present) online, and think networking helps to create a stronger rapport. Other teachers, however, are strictly against the idea.

This past August, Lee County School District in Florida issued social media guidelines and went so far as to forbid teachers from communicating with students on any website other than a school-based one, regardless of the reason. We all know a handful of good teachers who use social networking sites to answer homework questions, post lesson plans, and share photos of student activities, so general guidelines like these may actually prevent teachers from engaging students for educational purposes.

Still, one wonders how a social networking policy can be truly enforced, if at all, and how can a teacher actually prevent students from accessing information about them? Most websites are public and we all know that students can find just about anything on the Internet if they put their minds to it.

Since storing photos, videos, and personal information online brings up a plethora of legal, workplace, and privacy issues for teachers, we’ve decided to compile a list of easy social networking tips for teachers to keep in mind when using social networking sites:

1.       Check and maintain your privacy settings. This includes your Basic Directory settings to keep your personal information, photos and videos out of web searches. Be sure to include photos that may be posted by another person. Consider disabling your news feed as well.

2.       Avoid oversharing. Do not share personal information that you wouldn’t share with your class. Remember that teachers are not immune to cyberbullying and may receive threats and personal attacks.

3.       Use common sense. Avoid referring to your job, coworkers, students, parents, school district, or community in a negative light.

4.       Avoid communicating online with students. Unless your school has a specific policy, this just seems like the best option, and should apply to both current and past students that have not yet graduated. Do not send or accept friend requests, post comments on any student or faculty member's wall, get involved in a student’s personal life, or respond to a negative comment about you or your teaching abilities.

5.       Establish clear boundaries with your students and their parents. Communicate your (and your school’s) social media policy so there are no unrealistic expectations.

6.       Create an alternative online community. If permitted, consider setting up an online bulletin board or forum on a school-based website to create a safe place for you to communicate with your students about your class.

7.       Join educational social networking groups. Groups like “Educators using Facebook” or “Facebook in Education” offer positive environments for educators to share ideas about using social media.

8.       Google yourself.  Find out what your school, students, or parents can find out about you and respond to inappropriate findings quickly.

9.       Protect yourself. Create unique, hard-to-crack passwords to avoid being hacked.

We want to know your opinion. How do you feel about this issue? Should teachers and students be permitted to connect online? Join the discussion by posting a comment below!

Interested in more? Follow us (@SafetyWeb) on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

We summarize the key findings for you here, but you can also download the full survey from Truste's website.

First the good news:
It’s a family affair: 86 percent of parents are friends with their child on Facebook - we believe this is a good thing, as it helps parents know who their child is friends with online and what content their child is posting. Are you friends with your child on Facebook? Take our Facebook Parents Poll to vote and see how other parents responded!

SafetyWeb Tip for Teens - Be Helpful and Build Trust: Teens, you can help teach your parents about Facebook! 1 in 3 teens surveyed helped get their parents on Facebook in households where both the teen and parent have a Facebook account. By being friends with your parents online, you'll help build trust that you are also using Facebook responsibly and that you don't have a lot to hide.

You can also tell your parents about using SafetyWeb and gently nudge them "off" your wall so they don't feel the need to comment on or read every one of your posts. Since SafetyWeb alerts them only to content that might be of concern, you'll have some privacy, while giving your parents peace of mind about your safety. Unlike other monitoring applications your parents could use, SafetyWeb never asks for a child's Facebook username or password while helping to keep your privacy, safety and reputation intact.

• Privacy is important to both teens and parents: 88 percent of parents think their teen’s privacy on social networks is important, while 66 percent of teens think having control over their personal information on social networks is important. Both teens and parents take steps to protect their privacy on social networks - 70 percent of parents and 64 percent of teens use privacy controls on social networks.

TRUSTe Study fact: 80 percent of teens surveyed used privacy settings at some point to hide content from certain friends and/or parents

SafetyWeb Tip for Parents: Parents, make sure you balance your need to know with your child's desire for privacy. While we spend a lot of time cautioning parents about public content that can affect their child's online reputation, know that what you post on your child's Facebook wall can also leave a lasting impression of your child with his or her friends. If you comment on every post or photo, or start posting embarrassing content signed "Mom" on your teenager's wall, you run the risk of being 'unfriended' by your own child, or having your child modify privacy settings to hide content from you. Note that we can help you monitor your teen's safety on Facebook from a distance without having to read every single post, since we'll automatically alert you when content crosses the 'safety line' and is related to more worrisome content such as cyberbullying, depression, suicide, drugs, alcohol, sex or sexting, and custom content that you can set alerts for based on your family's unique situation. We were very saddened to hear that the impending suicide of Tyler Clementi was announced to his Facebook wall prior to the tragedy, but that no one read the post in time to prevent what might have been avoided if his parents were alerted.

• Parents Are "In Tune" with their Kids' Online Use: Most parents have a pretty good sense of their teen’s social network usage and information sharing habits - 84 percent of parents correctly estimated how much time their teen spends on social networks.


However, despite the good news and parental knowledge of their teen's activity....

• Parents Remain Concerned Enough to Monitor Social Activity: The majority of parents surveyed (72%) actively monitor their teens’ accounts, with 50 percent of these parents monitoring weekly, 35 percent daily and 10 percent monthly.

According to the survey, parents used multiple methods to track their teens social networking websites. Forty percent of teens granted their parents log in access to their social networking accounts, while a sneaky ten percent of parents had 'secret log in access' to their child's account, without their child's knowledge. While we encourage parents to keep a watchful eye for unsafe behaviors, we also believe that healthy boundaries can improve parent-teen relationships. Of course, if a teen crosses the safety line and needs some guidance with inappropriate behavior, parents should act responsibly, step in and take the appropriate action. Parents can take responsible action when armed with the facts and timely information about what their child is really doing online, which is why we encourage them to be watchful of social networking activity.

TRUSTe Study fact: More than one out of five parents have previously blocked or restricted their teen’s use of social networks over privacy concerns.

Study Reports That Some Teen Behavior Merits Parental Concern
While most parents want to believe that their child is behaving appropriately and safely online, we like the mantra of "Trust, But Verify". We think the results of the study highlight some areas of real concern for parents as well as teens. While we parents may be aware that a child's digital footprints can leave a lasting impression on college admissions officers and future employers, our teenagers may not be thinking several years into their own future. Make sure you know your teen's online activity well enough to verify that s/he is NOT doing the following:

• Teens can over-friend: 42 percent of teens accept social network ‘friend’ requests from strangers
• Teens can hide things from others: 60 percent of teens use privacy controls on social networks to hide content from specific friends, including parents.
• Teens can do damage to their own reputation: Some teens are posting things that they do not want their parents or teachers to see. Some may be savvy enough with privacy settings to 'hide' things, but others may have no idea they are posting damaging content that may come back to haunt them as they apply to college or interview for their first job.

SafetyWeb Tip for Parents:If you're concerned that your teen may be posting content that should be private, or content that shouldn't be posted online at all, you can find out what your child has posted publicly about themselves that might be cause for concern. Using your child's email address (which we never sell, save or share with anyone outside of SafetyWeb), we'll search the Web in real-time and across dozens of sites to see if your child has created a profile, and we'll let you know if your child's privacy settings are set to public or private. Continuous monitoring alerts you as soon as new profiles are created by your child, and across multiple email addresses if necessary.

• Teens can over-share: 31 percent of teens share content on social networking sites that they do not want their family or teachers to see.
• Teens can make mistakes: 18 percent of teens have been embarrassed or disciplined as the result of sharing something on a social network

TRUSTe Survey Fact: 82 percent of parents want to be able to contact a social networking site and access and delete content on their teen’s account

SafetyWeb Tip for Parents:If you need some help removing inappropriate or unwanted content that your child has mistakenly or unfortunately posted online, whether on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or the dozens of other social networking sites actively monitored 24/7 by SafetyWeb, feel free to call us for help! You can reach us toll-free 24/7 by calling 1-888-SAFE-WEB, or come chat with us online to get help with content removal, set up parental alerts for dangerous content, or connect your child's mobile phone activity so you can monitor who is calling and texting your child or know if they are using their mobile phone during school hours or in the middle of the night.

BOTTOM LINE ON SOCIAL NETWORK PRIVACY: Parents and teens can both benefit from more education about privacy settings on social networks, as well as open dialogue about what content and behavior is and is not appropriate online. Make sure you have a discussion about what is and is not appropriate to share publicly, privately, and with select groups of friends or family members. Be aware of the privacy settings for each social network that you and your child participate in, and if you have 'old profiles' you forgot about, make sure you find them (we can help you), modify the privacy settings, or delete them. You can find more information about privacy by downloading the TRUSTe Privacy Guide for Teens and Privacy Guide for Parents.

View the full Social Network Privacy Study for Parents and Teens, including the Executive Summary, Privacy Guides for Parents and Teens, as well as videos from parents and teens discussing social networking privacy on the TRUSTe website.

]]> http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/study-social-network-privacy-concerns-by-parents-and-teens/feed/ 2 http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/parenting-how-to-avoid-raising-a-bully/ http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/parenting-how-to-avoid-raising-a-bully/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:04:56 +0000 Tammy Blythe Goodman http://blog.safetyweb.com/?p=1370 Stories about tragic “bullycides” (suicides as a result of bullying) have been all over the media lately. As a result, everyone wants to know how we, as a society, can prevent bullying. There’s no denying the fact that without an instigator, bullying would cease to exist. Therefore, we want to examine how children become bullies in the first place.

Research shows that bullying-like behavior starts at a very young age. Some children throw violent temper tantrums; other kids learn that those tantrums will get them things, and this reinforces their behavior. That said, existing studies about bullying are contradictory and it is likely that a bully’s motivation varies from case to case. Many researchers agree that bullying is derived from low self-esteem while other studies suggest that kids are actually proud and on power trips.

We do know that children who come from violent homes where they may be exposed to domestic violence are at a high risk for reenacting aggressive behavior. The same holds true for children who are physically disciplined.

According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Tulane University, “children who were spanked more than twice a month were 50% more likely than those who weren’t spanked to develop aggressive behaviors.” The study was published in this past May’s Pediatrics and detailed the aggressive behaviors which included fights, meanness towards others, as well as physically destroying toys and property.

It’s easy to point fingers at parents, but good parents can end up raising a bully. We’ve put together a brief list of useful tips to help parents as much as possible:

1. Listen. Really listen to your child. Show interest in their social relationships and pay close attention to how your child talks about his/her classmates.
2. Maintain a healthy household. Create a nurturing home environment in which your child knows that they can talk to you or your spouse with concerns which will be taken seriously.
3. Be a good role model. Try not to let your child see you lose your temper. Remember, he/she is learning how to become an adult by studying your behavior.
4. Teach respect. Good manners go a long way. Educate your child about the difference between being aggressive and assertive.
5. Promote diversity. Expose your child to as much diversity as possible and explain that the differences among us make the world a better place.
6. If necessary, consult a professional. If your child is, or at one time was, exposed to aggressive behavior, or is currently demonstrating a great deal of anger or hatred, consider enrolling him/her in behavioral health counseling or anger management classes.

To download a FREE cyberbullying poster for your community or school and help promote cyberbullying awareness and prevention, click here.

Interested in more? Follow us (@SafetyWeb) on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

]]> http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/parenting-how-to-avoid-raising-a-bully/feed/ 0 http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-starting-the-conversation-about-cyberbullying/ http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-starting-the-conversation-about-cyberbullying/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:32:46 +0000 Tammy Blythe Goodman http://blog.safetyweb.com/?p=1297 October 1^st marks Cyberbullying Prevention Month and in the wake of so many recent “bullycides,” we thought now might be a good time to delve a bit deeper into the frightening and very real world of cyberbullying. As you already know, there have been numerous cases of severe bullying (both online and off) popping up across the country, including last week’s tragic Rutgers case. Continuous, harsh bullying can affect victims in many different ways, including depression and eventually suicide, a term now referred to as simply “bullycide.”

Kids are not always open to the idea of reporting a bullying incident, whether they are a victim or a bystander. Many children think that telling a trusted adult may result in their computer or cell phone privileges being taken away. Dr. Jorge Srabstein, the Medical Director of the Clinic for Health Problems Related to Bullying at Children’s National Medical Center who testified before Congress about cyberbullying, said, “Unfortunately, it’s universally ingrained that reporting bullying is being a ‘snitch’ and trying to get someone in trouble.”

As parents, we need to work on changing that way of thinking. “Kids need to know that adults take their reports of bullying seriously and are responsive,” said Annie Fox to a concerned parent at last week’s Twitter party about online and mobile safety, alongside SafetyWeb and 5MinutesforMom. Fox has experience with issues just like this. As an educator, award-winning author, and long-time online adviser to parents and teens, she began an anti-bullying campaign on Facebook called Cruel’s Not Cool for concerned students, parents, teachers, and administrators who want to take action against bullying. The group’s slogan is “No one solution to bullying fits all.”

If your child is currently a victim of bullying or cyberbullying, check out “Annie’s 10 Tips to Help Kids Survive Mean Girls and Guys,” originally posted on Annie Fox’s website:

1. This is NOT your fault. You haven’t done anything that deserves this kind of meanness.
2. You are not alone. Unfortunately lots of kids have to deal with this every day.
3. Don’t suffer in silence. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. I can help. Together we can let the school know what’s happening and make sure they put a stop to it. If you absolutely can’t/won’t talk to me about it, you have to talk to a trusted adult at school. (Note: Targeted kids may resist all help. They may believe that bringing attention to the problem will make things worse for them. You have to assure them that while there may be some temporary social consequences for speaking up, by staying silent there is little chance that the situation will improve on its own.)
4. Find at least one friend you can trust. It’s easier to put up with mean kids with someone on your side.
5. Do NOT try to retaliate. Even though you’re hurt and frustrated and angry enough to explode, do NOT try to get back at the mean kids. Meanness only turns into more meanness. That’s how wars escalate. Seriously! Instead of “getting even” speak up for yourself by telling an adult who has some power to make things better.
6. This isn’t about you. Happy, self-confident kids do NOT target others just for the fun of it. Mean kids often have problems. And major insecurities. They pick on other kids to make themselves feel more powerful. If their lives really were all that “prefect” they wouldn’t get pleasure out of making others miserable.
7. You can’t control what they do, what they say, what they think. Don’t even bother. You can’t control the choices others make. You only get to control your own choices.
8. Choose not to let them get to you. Mean kids say mean things. Words are the weapons they use. Their words can hurt, but they are just words. When you start believing the rubbish they say about you, then you are using their weapons against yourself. Don’t go there!
9. Get involved in activities outside of school. Follow your interests and your self-esteem will soar.
10. Real friends are trustworthy, respectful, supportive, loyal. Be the kind of friend you want to have and real friends will find you.

Interested in more? Follow us on Twitter (@SafetyWeb) and like us on Facebook!

]]> http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-starting-the-conversation-about-cyberbullying/feed/ 0 http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-freshman-opens-fire-at-school-in-south-carolina/ http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-freshman-opens-fire-at-school-in-south-carolina/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:59 +0000 Tammy Blythe Goodman http://blog.safetyweb.com/?p=1255 It happened again.

Last week, a 14-year-old male freshman at Socastee High School near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina shot a campus police officer after rigging several pipe bomb explosives around school grounds.

"We've got a young man who has been under the dark cloud of bullying for many years now," said the boy’s attorney, Russell Long, to reporters. “For some reason, kids just picked on him as an easy target. We all have to be concerned about this."

Thankfully, the school was fully evacuated during the incident. The explosives were found and neutralized by a bomb squad several hours later.

Prosecutors in the case want to try the teenager, who has not been identified because of his age, as an adult. Charges would include attempted murder and the attempted use of a weapon for mass destruction for an act of terrorism.

Police confirmed reports that they are investigating a Twitter account that may serve as key evidence in the case. On September 20^th, just one day before the shooting, a Twitter account believed to belong to the alleged shooter read: “One more week and I get my shotgun shells…Things are going great. Should have 6 or 8 pipe bombs and 4 molotov cocktails soon.” On the morning of the incident, that same account tweeted: “Haha wow, this is ganna be so much fun (;… Alright, I’m past the point of no return. No turning back now. Excited, but also scared.”

Surprisingly, several Twitter accounts that the original account in question “followed” continue to post tweets about the case, openly discussing the boy’s troubles and eventual downward spiral. “I totally called all of this…” says one tweet, “That was his only way out and i told him not to take it.” Somebody should probably tell that friend to change her Twitter settings to protect her tweets. We’re just sayin’…

To download a FREE cyberbullying poster for your community or school and help promote cyberbullying awareness and prevention, click here.

Interested in more? Follow us on Twitter (@SafetyWeb) and like us on Facebook!

]]> http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/cyberbullying-freshman-opens-fire-at-school-in-south-carolina/feed/ 0 http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/social-networks-facebook-pics-of-underage-drinkers-sent-to-police/ http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/social-networks-facebook-pics-of-underage-drinkers-sent-to-police/#comments Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:15:45 +0000 Tammy Blythe Goodman http://blog.safetyweb.com/?p=1240 Everybody is talking in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Melrose about almost 70 underage high school teens that were caught on camera playing a popular drinking game called beer pong. The photographs were first posted on Facebook and show the students, some of which are sports team captains, at a summer house party with alcohol and marijuana. The police later received the pictures from an anonymous sender.

Melrose High School officials met with each student and their parents individually, but say that no additional disciplinary action will be taken because pictures on the Internet can be altered. Two homeowners were identified, however, and will receive a warning letter for violating the city’s social host ordinance which went into effect in July 2008. Under this ordinance, homeowners or renters are penalized even if they were not aware of the underage drinking at their home. If caught breaking the rules again within 12 months, the adults will face fines of $150-$300.  Massachusetts also has a social host law which holds parents civilly or criminally liable and can result in jail time and a $2,000 fine.

Aside from the serious underage drinking and drugging issue that should (obviously) be addressed here, this story also confirms that photographs posted online or shared with friends can shine a negative light on a teen's online reputation and end up causing significant consequences for them down the road. This marks just one of many reasons why parents should be vigilant when it comes to monitoring their child’s social network account(s). A parent-teen conversation about the importance of making smart choices in life is always a good idea too.

For useful tips and information on managing problematic media posts on social networks, check out Facebook and MySpace Pictures- Guide for Parents.

Interested in more? Follow us on Twitter (@SafetyWeb) and like us on Facebook!

]]> http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/social-networks-facebook-pics-of-underage-drinkers-sent-to-police/feed/ 0 http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/parenting-safetyweb-5-minutes-for-mom-and-annie-fox-party-on-twitter/ http://www.safetyweb.com/blog/parenting-safetyweb-5-minutes-for-mom-and-annie-fox-party-on-twitter/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:15:38 +0000 Tammy Blythe Goodman http://blog.safetyweb.com/?p=1234 We’re proud to report that last night’s online safety Twitter party was a huge success. Thank you to all the wonderful participants for helping to create a thoughtful, engaging conversation about online and mobile safety. …and congratulations to our prize winners who received a complimentary 6-month subscription to SafetyWeb!

If you missed all the fun, here’s a quick rundown of some of the topics we discussed with @Annie_Fox (educator, author and teen/parent expert) and @5minutesformom (online bloggers and founders of the go-to mommy website):

• Responding to school bullying and cyberbullying
• Should children speak up if they know about a bullying incident?
• What age is appropriate for cell phones?
• How can a parent “pry” a cell phone away from a child?
• Is teen blogging a good thing?
• What is the best way to monitor a child’s Facebook account? What about their cell phone?
• Parenting techniques- what works?
• Tips on how to start conversations with your child
• The importance of online and mobile safety education

“It's a process, this parenting thing. An art, not a science. Lead with your heart, and LISTEN more than you talk (to tweens),” explained Annie Fox during the party, “Talk to your kids about your life too. If you want them to open up to you, be open (appropriately of course) with them.” Words to live by.

You can also read the full SafetyWeb Twitter party transcript online.

For more information on Annie Fox, visit her website at www.anniefox.com, and don’t forget to bond with other moms at www.5MinutesforMom.com.

Interested in more? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

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