Social Networking Sites: Today’s Hippest Meeting Place

An Educator, Parent, and Guardian’s Guide:
How to Teach Young People Safe Online Practices

It’s 10 p.m.—do you know where your children are?  Remember that phrase from your own childhood?  It is still a valid question, but now, it comes with a twist—do you know where your children are online?

Social networking sites are the hippest new meeting places around.  Children, teens, and others utilize social networking sites to enhance their social lives.  These sites encourage and allow people to exchange information about themselves and communicate with the world at large, using blogs, chat rooms, email, and instant messaging.  While social networking sites have the ability to extend one’s circle of friends, they also expose users to people who may have bad intentions—from peers to sexual predators. 

Although children under 14 are not allowed to register on many social networking sites, most social networking sites do not have the capability to verify ages. This makes the sites easily accessible and alluring to children.  How to Teach Young People Safe Online Practices is a guide designed by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to provide online safety and security tips for educators, parents, and guardians.  This guide offers educators tips to use when talking to their students about practicing safe online behavior and it offers parents and guardians tips for helping children ages 12-17 navigate the online social scene safely.

Tips For Educators or Parents
How to Talk to Young People about Socializing Safely Online

Guidelines For Parents and Guardians
How to Help Keep Kids Connected and Protected