Cyberbullying by Robin M. Kowalski & Susan P. Limber & Patricia W. Agatston

Author:Robin M. Kowalski & Susan P. Limber & Patricia W. Agatston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-02-05T05:00:00+00:00

Should Parents Ban Children from Social Networking Sites?

Although some parents respond to cyberbullying by banning the use of social networking sites altogether, by doing so they are asking their children to avoid a hugely popular pastime among students that allows for identity development and self-exploration. Younger children probably do not have the judgment to safely use sites designed for teens and adults, but older teens enjoy expressing themselves and exploring their identity online. Parents may choose to allow access for children who meet minimum age requirements, but they need to set some guidelines and occasionally visit the site. The current age limit for MySpace and Facebook is 13; however, it is easy for children to lie about their age and set up a profile. A parent should give approval for the social networking site only if their child agrees to the Web site guidelines, and gives the parent their profile name and password or agrees to some other form of monitoring. In addition, parents and children should review and set the privacy settings together. Connect Safely has an excellent online guide for setting the privacy settings for new users of Facebook. The child and parent should also agree that the parent will view the profile on occasion, at least until the child is in his or her later teens. There are also sites being developed now for children and preteens that market a safer online experience, such as Togetherville. Parents may find it helpful to use sites such as Togetherville, Club Penguin, and other social networking sites designed for younger children as a training ground for a child to learn how to safely and appropriately interact on such sites.

Social networking sites continue to be hugely popular during the college years (when a son or daughter is no longer under their parents’ roof or control), so providing teens with age-appropriate rules for using social networking sites may be the best response among parents. The opportunity to use social media with parental guidance will better prepare youth for communicating responsibly when they are no longer living at home. The key for parents is to help their children understand that they are building a digital reputation that will follow them into the future. This will be discussed further in the section on monitoring a child’s online reputation.

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