teen safety

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - with all the options and advantages, who doesn't have at least one social networking profile these days? The growth of online social networking in recent years has provided people with a new way to keep up with friends and family and connect with people all over the world.

What we sometimes don't realize, is that a lot of the information we post on these sites intended for our friends, family or trusted colleagues can also be seen by complete strangers.  Criminals have found a new source for information that can be used for crimes like identity theft, fraud and other scams that are sweeping the internet.   These criminals aren't looking for simple public record data, rather; it is the content of posts, updates and tweets that is putting social networking site users at increasing risk.

Social networking sites allow us to be constantly connected, to post whatever we want whenever we want, and we often don't think twice about what we post. Even in Twitter's 140 characters you have the opportunity to divulge enough personal information for an experienced online criminal to do harm. You may inadvertently give away your location by posting about your job, or you may post about a struggle you've been having with your bank and thus alert the social networking universe as to where you bank, what kind of banking you do, and what kind of account you have. Posting you mother's maiden name, mentioning an upcoming high school or college reunion, or talking about your favorite pets can provide criminals with just enough information about you to guess your password.

So what can you do to keep you identity from being stolen based on the information on your social networking profile? Check out the tips bellow to find out how you can keep safe:

• Keep your information to yourself. Don't post your full name (at least leave out your middle initial), your address, your email address, birth date, or your phone number to any of your social networking profiles. Though most social networking sites prompt for them they aren't required, so don't post them.

• Make all of your social networking profiles private, allowing only limited information to be viewed by people you have not approved as ‘friends' or ‘followers'.

• Only ‘friend' people you actually know. It isn't uncommon for people to accept a friend request from someone because they have a mutual friend or even a complete stranger. Often online fraudsters will friend as many users as they can with the hope that someone will take the bait. If you aren't sure if you know someone, confirm their identity before you add them. If you can't confirm, don't add them. Remember, the casual social networker uses their profile to keep up with friends and family, so why would you allow someone into your network who wasn't a friend or family member?

• Use secure passwords. Pick your passwords wisely, passwords that reflect your personal tastes or are ‘easy' to remember are often easy to guess. Consider a random set of capital and lower case letters and numbers, no less than eight characters. It's also a good idea to use different passwords for things like bank accounts than you do for social networking sites or email accounts.

• Always think twice before you post. Remember that if you post something online it can't be taken back. Just because you delete something, there is a chance that the information is cached on the site or is available on archiving sites. So before you update your page on-the-fly from your cell phone be sure to THINK about what you are posting and how the information could be used and who has the ability to see it.

• Talk to your kids about the risks. You aren't the only one online; if you have kids make sure they are practicing safe online habits. Talk to them about internet and social networking safety before anything has the chance to go wrong.

Do you talk to your kids about cyber safety? This is an issue that many parents overlook as it was not a topic of conversation when they were growing up. Nonetheless it is a topic that we encourage you to discuss with your kids.

Cyberbullying

Schools, parents, and teachers are being faced with the issue of cyberbullying for the first time. Bullying has always been a problem, but the onslaught of virtual communications such as text messages, emails and instant messages has given way to a whole new form of bullying. There have been numerous stories in the news recently of children falling victim to cyberbullying. The state of New Hampshire is currently in the process of passing a bill which will give schools the authority to address cyberbullying if it has an impact on the educational environment. If the bill passes, many states will likely follow New Hampshire's lead.

• Monitor your children's online activity. Know which sites they are visiting and who they are talking to.

• In many cases parents are unaware that their child is being picked on online, talking to your kids about cyberbullying and encourage them to talk to you if they feel they are falling victim to a cyberbully.

• Be aware that children and adults may have more than one profile on social sites such as facebook.com or myspace.com. As a condition for allowing them online access, ask them to share their online profiles with you.

• If you suspect that your child is hiding something from you, ask them to show you the most recent pictures they posted from their phone to their Facebook profile after they attend special events like a school dance, concert or party. Most likely they will post to their most active profile.

• Establish limits for online use. If your child knows you're around or if they can only use the internet for a limited amount of time each day they will be less likely to put themselves in situations that make them vulnerable to cyberbullying.

• Review your child's browsing history or set up parental controls that only allow your children to visit approved sites.

While computers have become a main staple in the curriculum of schools in the United States, a study recently released by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and supported by Microsoft Corp., revealed that less than 1/4 of teachers in the U.S. have spent more than six hours teaching cyber ethics, safety, or security in the last year.

As a parent you cannot depend upon your child's school to teach them about cyber safety. If internet safety and security is part of the curriculum, sit down with your kids and ask them to tell you what they have learned. If you feel that the school has missed some important points, this is your opportunity to bridge the gap.

As a parent you are raising a new technology driven generation of computer savvy Americans and it is up to us to make sure that they have the knowledge needed to remain safe while using these skills. In each of these cases the most effective defense is having an open dialog with your kids. This will make them more likely to come to you if a problem should arise.

What do you do to protect your kids online?

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