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Social Media 101
What Parents Need to Know
My background
● Star Tribune mobile and social media editor
● Frequently help report stories in which teens have gone astray when using
social media
● Parent of 16- and 13-year-old girls
● This presentation can be found and downloaded > http://bit.ly/cksocialtips
● Twitter: @onecolleen
Social Media
● Although I’m going to focus on pitfalls, there are lots of positives: camaraderie,
witty Internet memes, humor, second-screen fun during TV watching (sporting
events, awards shows), keeping up on news, etc.
Where to start?
● Educate yourself as a parent
● Understand your teen’s privacy settings/location tagging
● Talk about what’s appropriate to share
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Consequences of bullying, gossip, threats, inappropriate photos
● Establish rules about respecting others privacy
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No embarrassing photos, stories (This goes both ways, parents. Model good behavior.)
● Keep tabs on your teen’s social media use
● Educate your teen about scams and how to respond to
inappropriate behavior (block, report, unfriend, etc.)
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Know when to ask for help (porn, photos/videos of assaults, criminal behavior, threats)
● Set limits — and follow through
Apps and web sites
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Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
Twitter
Ask.fm
Kik
??? — there’s always something new
FACEBOOK
● Big one. Most everyone has an account.
● Privacy settings are very important
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Tagging: When are others allowed to tag you either in photos or locations
Public or private posts?
Who are your kids friends? (You should know, too)
● Common sense: Friend them. Yes.
● Where it can go awry:
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If your child is savvy, you can be put on a list that won’t see some posts or is blocked
completely from seeing their main or a secondary account
Do they actually know who they’ve friended?
Bullying
Public (wall posts and comments) can move to private (messages) via Facebook Messenger
(app)
Inappropriate posts (images, bullying comments)
INSTAGRAM
● What is it? Photo and video sharing social network. Very popular. Owned
by Facebook.
● When your teen uses a hashtag like #selfie that image is searchable by
others (not just people who follow them.)
● Younger kids? Even a private account allows your child to search
everything. In addition, private account is no good if you don’t know who
the people are you allow to follow you. It’s VERY easy to create an
account with an innocuous avatar and name and to look harmless.
● Where it can go awry: Bullying behavior, wrong kind of attention/comments
on photos, some use it as a blogging platform (subjects span breadth of
the internet: self harm, depression, etc.)
● Messaging, tagging people in photos, using comments to go to private (kik)
In Instagram, a quick search
for “sad” or “depression” will
net this, an account focused
on depression, anxiety and
bulimia.
Instagram does try to filter
out pro-anorexia and other
objectionable accounts, but
it’s not difficult to find them.
SNAPCHAT
● An app that allows users to take photos, record videos,
add text and drawings and send “disappearing”
messages to friends recipients
● Images and videos disappear (except when they don’t)
o You can screen grab photos if you’re quick
o You (or someone else) can take a photo or video of the message
while it displays on your phone.
● Not real names. Who are the people?
● Selfies … and sexting?
● Your “best friend” or top three are visible to others.
TWITTER
● Micro-blogging platform (140 characters)
● Still an emerging network.
● Unique to Twitter: “Confessions” or “Probs” accounts or hashtags for
various high schools can be home to vicious rumors. Flip side: Some have
created “compliments” accounts.
● The language of Twitter: subtweets, hashtags (#highlandprobs), retweets
● Many examples in the news (threats, bullying)
● Don’t have to use real name
● Locations can be tagged
ASK.FM
● Social networking website based in Latvia, where users can ask others
questions, often with anonymity.
● Interconnected in the sense that teens may tweet or Facebook post asking
for questions
● Awful questions: “Why are you a loser?” “Is it true you f****** xxxxxx in the
boy’s locker room?” “I heard you left Nova because everyone hated you”
● While many social platforms have redeeming qualities, my advice: Just
don’t.
● In the news ...
KIK & other texting apps
● An instant messaging app for smartphones. Free on
mobile phones. Can replace a texting plan, using data
or WiFi.
● Interconnected… Someone can comment on an
Instagram post (which is public), ask for your Kik name,
then move over to a private Kik conversation
● Widely associated with sexting
● After some bad experiences, my daughter deleted hers
What to do?
● Don’t be afraid to be the bad guy. (Give your teen cover)
● Keep lines of communication open
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It needs to be an ongoing conversation.
Better to have the conversation before you have to … can be as simple as saying, “What are
you seeing?” “Do you have a Kik?”
● Have rules about phone use and social media
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Will vary for each family
Hours of use (not overnight, not during homework?)
Password safety
Some of my non-negotiables
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Have to answer phone or text back
No texting while driving
Kids have to let me see phone, unlocked, if asked (without warning)
Some parents insist on knowing passwords/phone lock code (can be hard to track)
It’s your job to teach them and keep them safe
Follow through
To learn more
For parents >
● Ten Social Media Strategies for Parents of Teens
● Beyond Facebook: 12 Apps Every Parent Should Know About
● A Parent’s Guide to Instagram (PDF)
● Snapchat: A Guide for Parents (PDF)
● Help your Teens Play it Safe on Facebook
● Take Control: Managing Your Teen’s Social Media Use
● Kik: What It Is and What Parents Need to Know
● Advice for Parents from Parents about using Social Media
For teens >
● Texting and driving: You’d be safer swimming with sharks
● Social media gone awry: Tips for teens to stay safe
● 12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social Media
Thank you!
This presentation can be
found and downloaded here:
http://bit.ly/cksocialtips