Social Networking Websites

How can I make it safer?

Setting things up…

  • Check adolescents' social networking profiles.
  • Learn how to adjust and/or increase privacy settings on adolescents' social networking profiles.
  • Limit the amount of time the adolescents spend online.
  • Know adolescents' passwords, screen names, and the friends they are communicating with online.
  • Monitor adolescents' use of webcams as well as the posting and exchanging of pictures/videos online.
  • Monitor and verify any job offers made to adolescents, and accompany them to interviews.

Important discussions to have…

  • Adolescents can appear very mature and ready to take on the world; however, adolescent brains are still developing and they do not have the capacity to properly deal with all situations.
  • Monitor adolescents' increasing independence. Even though adolescents may appear as though they can handle certain situations, they actually require and unconsciously seek adult guidance and supervision.
  • Explain to adolescents where it is appropriate for her/him to have privacy: confiding in close friends face-to-face, writing in a paper journal, being in her/his bedroom, etc. Reinforce that there is no privacy on the Internet, emphasizing the public nature of the Internet.
  • Teach adolescents that once pictures or information are sent over the Internet, control over what happens to them is lost. Tell them to be mindful of what is sent.
  • Teach adolescents that it is illegal for people to manufacture, possess or distribute naked or sexually explicit pictures of children under 18 years of age. Explain that they need to tell a safe adult if they are presented with this situation.
  • Teach adolescents that it is illegal for adults to offer them gifts or money in exchange for sexual activity.
  • Discuss with adolescents the concept of dignity and self-respect and how it can be preserved or destroyed by messages sent online and offline.
  • Discuss with adolescents the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
  • Explain to adolescents that they should never meet someone in person that they first met online without a parent or guardian.
  • Discuss with adolescents high-risk behaviour both online and offline and create 'what if' scenarios together to help them recognize dangerous situations and practice responses.
  • Encourage open communication and be aware of adolescents' sensitivity to social judgment. They may be hesitant to share personal experiences.
  • Suggest to adolescents that they review Respect Yourself, a website designed to teach teens about the risks they face when sending pictures or videos by email, Instant Messaging (IM) or by posting them online. This site guides teens through the risks and provides them with safety strategies to help keep them safe.