Arguably, many students log on to the Web for educational purposes, but if your child or teen frequently and obsessively visits the Internet to hang out in chat rooms or on social networking sites, play video games (particularly multi-player games), or view pornographic sites, you may have reason for concern.

We all know that parents should take an active role in their children’s lives, both online and off.  To jumpstart a healthy discussion with your child about their online usage, here are some helpful ideas:

1. Thoughtfully ask what types of activities he/she participates in online (even if you already know). Show an honest interest in what your child has to say.
2. Ask what kinds of feelings are evoked before, during and after spending time online.
3. Inquire about who your child converses with online. If an unfamiliar name pops up, press further for more information about that individual.
4. Encourage other activities such as team sports and afterschool clubs, anything with positive social interaction.
5. If you believe your child is addicted to the Internet, try moving the computer to a shared room in the home (like a living room) and set healthy limits on the amount of time allowed online.
6. If you need additional support or think your child suffers from depression, consider talking to your family doctor or a professional counselor.

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Over half of all blogs on the Internet are written by kids under the age of 19. Some teens have a tendency to overshare on their blogs, and a surprising amount of parents are unaware that their child is blogging at all. Here are some quick tips to help kids (and their parents) stay safe while blogging.

1. Protect your blog from being hacked.  Use a complicated password including both letters and numbers.  Make sure it is at least 6 characters long.
2. Use your “street smarts.” Avoid giving out any personal information like names, addresses, school names, birthdays, etc. Remember that any content you post could pop up on an Internet search engine, and divulging personal facts could put you at risk for becoming a victim of cyberstalking or physical stalking.
3. Act as your own editor-in-chief. Set up your blog to monitor and approve comments before they are posted online.  This will help you steer clear of any unwanted drama and potential cyberbullies.
4. Choose images wisely.  Stay away from posting personal photographs that either expose private facts (like where you live) or show yourself in a negative light (like party photos in which you engaged in underage drinking).
5. Be mindful. Remember that anything you post online becomes permanent in cyberspace and has the potential of coming back to haunt you. This includes using vulgar language, posting explicit images, or writing inappropriate content.  Imagine that a future employer or admissions counselor to your dream college is reading your blog because it’s entirely possible that they will a few years down the line.

Of course, it’s important for parents to discuss the dos and don’ts of blogging with their children, and monitoring your child’s blog from time to time is always a good idea too.

1. Never divulge personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, school names, etc.  Most importantly, avoid using your real name as your username.
2. Choose a complicated password including both letters and numbers.  Make sure it is at least 6 characters long.
3. Modify your Twitter settings to make your feed private so strangers will not be able to view your tweets.
4. Avoid linking your Twitter account to your Facebook profile or your FourSquare account, etc.  To protect your privacy as much as possible, it’s best to cut down on account linking.
5. Stay away from posting private photographs, especially those that expose your exact location, like a photo in front of a school or another easily identifiable building.
6. Steer clear of Twitter’s geo-tagging feature which will give out your location to all of your followers.  Thankfully, this is a feature that must be turned “on” and is “off” as default.
7. Remember that anything you write on Twitter will become permanent, even if you delete your tweets.
8. Be aware that your tweets can be repackaged and forwarded to third-parties.
9. Use common sense.  Avoid complaining about your job, your coworkers, or your salary.  Also, do not post a link to your personal blog which does any of those things either.  Not only can this get you fired, but it may also affect your future and reputation.
10. Don’t threaten violence against anybody.  Mentioning how much you want to kill so and so or talking about any type of terrorist plot you may have will land you in one place: jail.

We know that social networks and text messages have become breeding grounds for dangerous cyberbullies.  For this reason, parents (especially of teen girls) need to connect more with their children on a daily basis and take an active role in monitoring their child’s online and cell phone activities. 

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Indian River School Board Member, Donna Mitchell, of Delaware, says that some students have even snapped photos of tests and texted pics to their fellow classmates.  “They’re so adept that kids can text without even looking at it.”  Mitchell’s school district has banned cell phones during school hours, and violators are prohibited from participating in extracurricular activities for up to twenty days as punishment.

Some students admit to texting, but say that their parents often text them with reminders to pick up a sibling, or to take the dog out.  They see people texting all around them, and believe that students simply shouldn’t abuse the technology while in school.

Eunique Lawrence, a teacher at Brandywine High, uses texting as a communication tool with her students and has a separate number just for student-texting.  “It’s a great educational tool as far as reaching the students,” she says, “We can’t really beat them, but we can join them.”

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The study was conducted by two researchers from the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT) and the University of Turku in Finland, and was published by the Journal of Youth Studies, a leading international periodical covering youth research topics.

The study’s results confirm that online games, social networking sites, and other online communities are vital for teens and help to shape their identities as well as their principles. For this reason, online communities may possibly be as powerful and influential (if not more) than a teen’s offline family.

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N2 2CB. WBU?

Translation: “I’m into hallucinogenics. What about you?”

WTG 4 a \%/?

Translation: “Want to go for a drink?”

%*@:-(

Translation: “Hung-over and got a headache.”

Ctn pos. tdtm l8r k? :**:”

Translation: “Can’t talk now. Parent over shoulder. Talk dirty to me later, OK? Returning the kiss.”

No 420? Wiyp?

Translation: “No weed? What is your problem?”

LM4a~~#ZZZZZZ>

Translation: “Let’s meet for a joint.”

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According to The Dangerous Behaviors Foundation, players of “The Choking Game” risk experiencing seizures, memory loss, broken bones, concussions, retinal hemorrhaging, stroke, permanent brain damage and even death. The game has taken the lives of kids as young as 9-years-old, and just this month, two teens in Chicago died while playing it.

Parents must be vigilant. Kids often hear about the game at parties, summer camp, or by discovering the YouTube videos.  If you hear your child or their friends discussing the game (or the related YouTube videos), you must intervene.  Here are some helpful prevention tips:

1. Step up the normal monitoring of your child’s activities and whereabouts. Open your child’s cell phone and computer to check for websites or text messages containing phrases like “pass out” or “choking game.”  Do a search for videos that your child may have viewed, created, or uploaded.
2. Consider restricting your child's access to YouTube.
3. Remove belts, scarves, cords, or anything else that can be used for suffocation from your house.
4. Report your knowledge to school authorities.
5. Alert the parents of your child’s friends (if involved) to the situation.
6. Talk to a primary care physician or mental health professional to see if your child may require additional medical attention.

Parents should be aware that “The Choking Game” also goes by the following code names: Elevator, Pass Out Game, Hangman, Tap Out, Blackout, Black Hole, Flatliner, Choking Roulette, Good Kids Game, Thrill Seekers Rush, American Dream, Airplaning, California Choke, Cloud Nine, Dream Game, Fainting Game, Funky Chicken, Gasp Game, Knock-Out Game, Purple Dragon, Purple Hazing, The Scarf Game, Something Dreaming Game, Space Cowboy, Space Monkey, Suffocation Roulette, and the Tingling Game.

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A few precautions will keep site users safe from cyberstalkers.

• Consider the person’s age.   GPS-based sites and apps are really not appropriate for children.  A bit of maturity goes a long way toward keeping a site member safe.  Thirteen is a reasonable age to grant use of these services, but several sites don’t even allow users under age 18.  Consider both the service and the age and maturity of the child who will use it.
• Post avatars or photos of pets as identifiers for young people who do use these sites.  They absolutely should not post real pictures of themselves as identifiers, as these can pose security risks.
• Check in often with apps downloaded to a young person’s phone. Ask what the apps are, and if an app involves sharing the child’s location, check his/her friends list.  If the child’s cell is on a family plan, these apps can be blocked by a parent from download. Otherwise, frequent hands-on checks of the child’s cell is the best approach.
• Make certain that friends who receive GPS updates are real-life friends and not members of an extended network that might include any number of unknowns.  Confirm that the security settings of the site/app allow only wanted followers.
• Consider “checking in” at a location as you are leaving, rather than upon arrival, to minimize the chance of an unwanted encounter with someone unknown.

Parents should remind their children about the potential dangers of talking to strangers. As cliché as the lesson sounds, the discussion is certainly warranted.

“With the increase in technological devices, children are now using [them] to harass and harm other children,” says Bridget Roberts-Pittman, an assistant professor of counseling at Indiana State University.

Parents should take special notice if their child exhibits a bout of anxiety, depression, or withdrawal.  It’s important to note that many kids and teens who are victims of "technology harassment" may not realize that there is action they can take against the instigators, such as contacting site administrators to remove content, or talking to the police.  In many cases, this lack of awareness contributes to a child’s downward spiral, and a quick talk by parents about the best way to respond could significantly lessen a child’s feeling of helplessness.