Facebook and Kids: What Habits Are They Picking Up?

The Facebook generation – that is the trend of our kids and teens today, but what new habits (good and bad) are they learning from social networking?  Since Facebook is the largest and most used social networking site, let’s see what the top seven bad habits kids are learning from Facebook.

You had to have seen this one coming: kids are picking up bad habits from their extensive use of social media giant Facebook. This can’t come as too big of a surprise though, because it stands to reason that something so popular and fun would be bound to have some ill effects. Not that we’re condemning Facebook, mind you, but there are a few potential pitfalls to watch out for regarding your child’s usage.

The following are seven bad habits that kids pick up from Facebook:

1. TMI – To be honest, many of us are already guilty of grossly over-sharing our personal lives on Facebook. When you have a place to update your status 24/7, though, it shouldn’t come as any real surprise that eventually one’s entire personal life is right there for anyone and everyone to read on their profile.
2. Inappropriate Friending – It tends to be an automatic reaction for some to “friend” someone after they’ve added you, accompanied by the friend confirmation request, whether this person is someone you know well or not. While they may not like the idea of saying ‘no’, safety should have a higher priority than popularity.
3. Posting Inappropriate Photos – Inappropriate photographs always seem to find their way onto people’s Facebook pages. For that matter, taking such photos in the first place is ill-advised, to say the least. Coupled with the prospect of being friended by stalkers and strangers, not to mention being available for any potential employers or school officials, this makes for a very dangerous mix.
4. Poor Time Management – It’s very easy to lose track of one’s time while socializing on Facebook, and hours at a time can be lost without even realizing it, often at the expense of more important things like homework, chores, etc. It may be wise to install a filter software that can monitor use and block certain sites during specified time periods to ensure that your kids don’t spend too much time on the website.
5. Indiscriminate Downloading – Facebook is notorious for third party apps that seek to gain access to personal data and the friend lists of members who use them. There’s a large risk associated with accepting gifts via some of these app, unfortunately, that could end up compromising your personal information.
6. Poor Grammar – As with chat rooms, IM’s, and text messaging, all of which came prior to social media, Facebook posts can tend toward cyber shorthand, whether it’s in the interest of brevity or simply born out of sheer laziness. Although it’s acceptable – even necessary in some cases – to limit character usage, it’s very easy for this habit to leak over to your child’s more formal writing and correspondence.
7. Not Safeguarding Personal Info – Facebook provides varying levels of privacy settings for its users. Members can share everything with anyone, or limit access to their profile to just friends and/or family. Kids today have become ok and even lax with the safeguarding of their personal information, and identity theft, stalking or harassment can end up being one of the penalties for your child being too open with his or her personal information.

Source:  Become a Nanny

Join me on Facebook  and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.

Cybertraps for the Young: Sext Education and CyberEthics

I was recently introduced to this book and have to share it with everyone.  As technology and social networking expands, so does digital dangers.  I am a big believer that education is the key to prevention.
When parents say that they are going to remove their teen’s computer, take away their cell phone – or have their teen delete their Facebook – it is almost comical.

Do they actually think a teen is not savvy enough to create a new page, borrow a friends phone or even go to an Internet cafe or library?  Parents, you always need to be a step ahead of your kids – you need to show your kids the dangers – the risks – the pitfalls – so they don’t get tangled in the web!  Here is a good start…..

Order today!

Cybertraps for the Young
by Frederick S. Lane

 ‘SEXT EDUCATION’ AND ‘CYBERETHICS’:
 WHAT EVERY PARENT MUST KNOW ABOUT 
THE TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES OF CHILDREN

—Leading expert on emerging technology breaks down the implications of technology misuse amongst teens and provides tips on how to monitor online activity in new book

Just how ‘connected’ are today’s youth?

• The average child possesses their first cell phone before age 10
• In October 2010, 43% of teen cell phone users reported that their primary reason for having a phone was to text message friends
• Roughly 50% of teens in the U.S. use Facebook
• 81% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 own at least one gaming console
• 23% of children under 5 regularly use the Internet

With fast downloads, mass file sharing, instant uploads, and lightning-fast Internet searches available at the click of a button, a host of new technologies—cell phones, gaming systems, laptops, tablets, and digital cameras—are helping teens commit irrevocable mistakes. As today’s youth continues to be a targeted consumer audience for emerging technology, it is increasingly critical for  parents and educators to identify, understand, and discuss the consequences of technology misuse with children.

In his new book, Cybertraps for the Young, attorney and computer forensics expert Frederick Lane describes the most prevalent cybertraps confronting children today. After outlining the legal consequences which can result from inappropriate online behavior, he provides parents with insightful strategies for discussing safe and ethical technology use with their children.

“Cyber responsibility starts at home and, now more than ever, it’s crucial parents have regular conversations with their kids about online safety,” Lane says. “Children should not get access to powerful communication tools until they understand the risks associated with them.”

Unlike other books on new technologies, Cybertraps for the Young focuses on the serious personal and legal consequences children may face as a result of their online behavior. From the most  common and easily triggered cybertraps, including those arising from new tools like the iPhone’s new live video chat capability, “Face Time,” to lesser-known risks like peer-to-peer file sharing, Lane offers a candid look at how schools, law enforcement agents, and state and federal prosecutors are taking increasingly tough stands against young offenders. Drawing on contemporary news stories, case studies, and personal courtroom experiences, Lane provides a startling investigation of the numerous cybertraps that continue to dominate today’s headlines: oversharing personal information, plagiarism and high-tech cheating, cyberbullying and cyber harassment, libel and slander, hacking, sexting and sextortion, and child pornography on Peer-to-Peer networks.

In addition to the analysis of the cybertraps for parents, Lane stresses the need to incorporate cybersafety and cyberethics lessons into the American education system.  Backed by his decade on the Burlington School Board in Vermont, Lane provides tips to parents on how to approach their local school districts and advocate for cyberethics education at all grade levels.

“We emphasize the practice of safe sex in sex education; we teach gun safety as a prerequisite for a hunting license; and we teach auto safety in driver’s education,” notes Lane. “As technology continues to advance, cyberethics should be a staple in the school curricula.”

In this first book of its kind, Lane delves into:

• The capabilities of emerging technology, including camera cell phones, gaming systems, tablets, live video chat, and digital cameras, among others
• How and when to start educating children about cyberethics and potential cybertraps
• How to monitor children’s online activity—both by physically tracking their conduct and by using monitoring tools and software
• The legal and personal consequences of specific cybertraps, including sexting, cyber-bullying, and hacking
• What parents can do to notify their school districts and state legislatures about the need for cyber education

 About the author:
 Frederick Lane is an author, attorney, expert witness, and professional speaker on the legal and cultural implications of emerging technology. A 1988 graduate of Boston College Law School, Lane practiced law for five years before launching his own computer consulting business, a career move which ultimately led him to his current work as a writer, lecturer, and computer forensics expert. Over the past 12 years, Lane has worked on a wide variety of criminal cases, including copyright infringement, stalking, embezzlement, theft of intellectual property, obscenity, and child pornography.

In addition to his professional background, Lane has served on the Burlington School Board in Vermont since October 2001 and served as chairman of the Board for the past two years. He is the author of 5 highly acclaimed books, a number of which deal with technology boundaries. Lane is also the father of two teenage boys.

For more information about Frederick Lane and Cybertraps for the Young, please visit www.cybertrapsfortheyoung.com or www.FrederickLane.com. Cybertraps for the Young will be available on ntiupstream.com or on Amazon.

Teens Addicted to Facebook?

Facebook Addiction

Facebook, our largest growing social networking site and many are now considered FB Addicts.
Is there anything wrong with being hooked on Facebook?  Maybe, if it is consuming your life, but like everything in life, you need to set boundaries.

Yes, it is long overdue, but finally it has been created – a 12 step program for those addicted to Facebook. FAA (Facebook Addicts Anonymous) groups are being formed worldwide to defeat this growing addiction. Many Facebook addicts have been ridiculed as being weak and selfish by those around them.
However, more and more people are beginning to recognize this addiction for the true disease that it is, and that it cannot be overcome by simple willpower alone.

Below you will find the Twelve Steps to Freedom that are being utilized by FaceBook addicts to break the hold of this menace in their lives.

Step 1: Acknowledge you have a problem. This, of course, is the first and most critical step. The individual must recognize and admit that FaceBook is no longer simply a place for casual social connection to them; it is an addition that has taken control of their lives.
Step 2: Recognize your need of a Higher Power. Once you recognize and admit the addicting hold that FaceBook has on your life, you will soon realize that you are unable to quit on your own. You must have help from someone, something, greater than yourself; someone…who does not live in the FaceBook world. Only you can determine who that Higher Power is. It may be your spouse, your parents or your roommate, but it will be a real live person whom you can touch.
Step 3: Surrender your password to your Higher Power. Step three is a crucial step. You must surrender your FaceBook password to your Higher Power. You must allow them monitor all your activities and change your privacy settings.
Step 4: Do a thorough and fearless inventory of your friends list. For this fourth step, you must go through each and every face on your friends list. You must acknowledge to your Higher Power whether or not you truly know each person, and in what way.
Step 5: Delete all those friends you do not truly know. Now that you’ve created that list of unknown friends, you must make the big step of deleting them from your friends list. It will be difficult. There will be a grieving process involved, but it must be done.
Step 6: Remove the FaceBook app from your cellphone. You’ve come a long way, by this point. Step six will be a turning point in your recovery. You will purposefully and intentionally remove the FaceBook app from your cellphone. You will no longer receive FaceBook status reports on your phone. You will no longer post your immediate thoughts from any and every location. You will confine your FaceBook use to your computer.
Step 7: Do a second inventory of your friends list. You narrowed it down once. In this step, you are going to make a clean sweep. You will determine which of the people on this list is actually related to you and, which are not. Third cousins, twice removed is the very farthest limit accepted in true blood relations.
Step 8: Delete everyone except family. By this time, you are beginning to get stronger. Gather support if you need it, though, this is going to take some time. Delete ALL your FaceBook friends except those you have listed on your family list.
Step 9: Begin using email again. In this step, you will begin putting your new life into place. You will begin using your email account once again to communicate with friends and family. You will re-learn how to attach photo files to emails in order to share them with others. It would be easy to turn back to FaceBook at this point. It may seem like it would be the easy solution, but it ISN’T. You know that.
Step 10: Post your final goodbye on your status. Now that you’ve re-established your new life, it is time to make an official public statement regarding your freedom from this addiction. Post your final farewell in your status.
Step 11: Delete your account. This step must IMMEDIATELY follow Step 10. You must quickly delete your FaceBook account before reading any replies to status update. Other FaceBook addicts will try to dissuade you. They will tell you that having an account won’t hurt you. You must NOT listen to them. They are as in need of help as you were when you began this program.
Step 12: Join a social network for recovering FaceBook addicts. Now that you have reached the last and final step of your program, it is finally time to rejoin the world of the living. You will find it online. A new FAA social network had been created, that will support you in your ongoing recovery. Begin to live again!

Source:  Internet For Free

Join my Facebook page!  Learn more about parenting teens and tweens in a society that is complex with technology and teens that have become more challenging than ever.

Teens Oversharing - How will it effect their future?

Talk to your teens, what they send today....

Is your teenager sharing too much of their information online?

In a recent survey on TeenVogue.com, 94 percent of readers polled said that teenagers should be more concerned about privacy on the Internet.

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, has become a go-to site for college recruiters as well as employers.  Does your teen know the consequences of posting their party pictures, or language they should only be using privately (if using at all)?

Do you recall a recent Examiner article, Employers now asking for your Facebook link when applying for a job?

Although it can be nearly impossible to control or monitor everything our teens do, it is imperative you stress the importance of the lasting effects that an innocent photo or a questionable action that is posted on your Facebook page can result in - years from now.

Many kids are not able to grasp that two to five years from now is really not a long time.  Like many kids, it seems like forever - so why not post these cool things they are doing.  The problem is, what they consider cool, some may consider crude.

What may seem humorous to you and your friends, could be offensive to others.  Privacy is a gift, and how much you want to give is up to you.  However give with caution!

Order today!

Don't learn the lesson the hard way, "Google Bomb! The Untold Story of the $11.3M Verdict That Changed the Way We Use the Internet," a story everyone needs to read. 



Ironically when our children were young, most taught and encouraged our children to share.  Now we have to redefine sharing and give it boundaries.

Be an educated parent, you will have safer teens.


Watch the video.
Read more.

Sue Scheff: Parenting Tips on Cell Phone Safety and their Teens

Like Internet safety, as parents today, we need to be eduated on cell phone safety and our kids. Here are some great tips from Connect Safely. Take the time to be an educated parent.

Source: Connect Safely

Though teens make little distinction between fixed and mobile socializing, we adults still do. So here are some basic ideas for safe socializing on phones as well as the Web that we hope will work for both generations.

Smart socializing. Use the same good sense about what you post from your phone as from a computer. Once they’re posted, text, photos, and video are tough to take back, can be copied and pasted elsewhere, and are up there pretty much forever. Think about the people in them (including you!). Reputations are at stake, and even more if nudity or sex is involved.

Bullying by phone. Because people socialize on cellphones as much as online, cyberbullying can be mobile too. Treat people on phones and the Web the way you would in person, and the risk of being bullied goes down.

Sexting: It’s the same on phones as on the Web – do not take, send, post or even store on your phone nude photos of anyone under 18. You could be charged with production, distribution, or possession of child pornography, a serious crime. You could also be subjected to jokes, bullying, blackmail, expulsion from school, loss of a job, etc. and the images can circulate forever.
The value of “presence.” If you do a lot of texting, consider the impact that being “elsewhere” might be having on the people around you. Your presence during meals, at parties, in the car, etc. is not only polite, it’s a sign of respect and appreciated.

Down time is good. Constant texting and talking can affect sleep, concentration, school, and other things that deserve your thought and focus. Real friends understand there are times you just need to turn off the phone – harassment can happen between midnight and morning too.
Social mapping. Most cellphones now have GPS technology and there are a growing number of services that allow friends to pinpoint each other’s physical location. If you use such a service, do so only with friends you know in person, and get to know the service’s privacy features!
Reprinted with permission from Connect Safely.

Learn more at the newly updated http://www.connectsafely.org/.

For more info: Connect Safely, Safe Teens.

Also on Examiner.com

Sue Scheff: Steps parents can take to protect their teenagers online reputation

Source: Examiner

By Heather Marlman

As more and more teenagers are taking part in social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it’s becoming more and more important for parents to take an active role in helping to protect their teens online reputation.

There are steps that all parents can take to make sure their teenager is playing things smart when they go online both in the text and photos that they post on these social profiles. By taking an active role parents can be certain that the online reputation of their teenager isn’t tarnished.

Talk to your teen

This is a good time to have a conversation with your teenager about their online “image”. Most teenagers are fairly self conscious about their reputation among their peers, however many of them fail to recognize that what may bee seen as cool or funny to their friends is viewed as suggestive or irresponsible to other adults. Remind them that a growing number of college admissions staff and employers are looking at the online profiles of their applicants and using the information they find to base their decisions.

Google your teen

Typing in your teenagers name can sometimes reveal some startling results. Make a point to do a Google search on your teen to find out what information you can find. While your teenager may see this as a form of “spying”, remind them that you are only using the same resources that the entire world has available. If you can find it then so can anyone else.

Join their networks

Not every parent is well versed in the world of social networking but having a teenager often means that it’s time to take a crash course. Create your own profiles on networks such as Facebook and MySpace and add your teenager as one of your contacts. If your teenager uses Twitter, create an account and follow them.

Creating online profiles gives you the ability to let you see what they are posting for the rest of their friends to see. Again, this is not a way of spying on your teenager. It’s a way of creating an open door policy between parent and child.

Encourage adult friends and family members to also add your teen as one of their contacts as a way of further policing the information that they post online.

While these may seem like extreme measures, often teenagers say and do things because they are unaware of the potential consequences. If you find material on any of these social networking sites that you consider inappropriate, make it a point to discuss it with your teenager without being too harsh. Often teens do things that adults may see as inappropriate when they were merely intending to be funny. Discussing the difference in the way things appear to adults is a good way to help shift your teen from the world of being a child to the world of being grown up.

More resources for both parents and teenagers in ways to protect your online reputation will be made available through Project Pro and distributed to high school counselors.

You might also find these articles useful:
What is your teeangers online reputation?
Is your teenager 'sexting'?

Sue Scheff: Facebook Do's and Dont's from MomLogic

Source: MomLogic.com

Here's all you need to know, courtesy of MomLogic contributor and Internet Safety Specialist Lori Getz.

There's no doubt that manners are important. But who knew that there would be a whole new set of etiquette for online interactions? Well, there are. In part two of our Cyber Safety series, find out the do's and don'ts of Facebook.

Do: Check your privacy settings!Within Facebook, there are 3 "Settings" tabs: Account, Privacy, and Applications. These settings allow you to control everything from how your page looks to who can see what you post. Within the Privacy setting alone, there are 4 sub-categories, each with several options. It is important that you read through all of them and make appropriate decisions about who can see what!

Do not: Use friending to alienate or become "famo."A friend request is a precious thing. Do you remember walking up to a new friend on the kindergarten playground and asking him or her to be your friend? Well, welcome to the 21st century version. You don't want to use this power to alienate others, but at the same time, you only want to let people in that you know in the physical world. "Famo" refers to becoming Internet Famous. Kids love to "collect friends," whether they know them or not. The more friends you have, the more famo you are. People you meet online that you don't know face-to-face are strangers. It's just not safe to let them into your inner circle!

Do not: Use the Honesty Box to slander or defame others. The honesty box in Facebook is an application on your profile page where people can drop anonymous comments. When teens use this feature, it is usually to harass one another. That's just plain old cyber-bullying!Do: Control who sees your News Feeds.On the top menu bar of Facebook, you have 4 main options: Home, Profile, Friends, and Inbox. On the Home page, you see the News Feeds. These are status updates of what your friends are doing and thinking (much like Twitter). Make sure you know who can see these updates -- you will find this control in the Privacy setting. You wouldn't want to accidentally tell the world you are leaving town for the weekend and that your house will be empty.

Do not: Fall for Phishing scams.Phishing is the act of attempting to trick users into divulging sensitive and personal information by directing them to a fake website that collects things like usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, etc. Facebook has encountered several phishing scams where you will receive a link in your inbox directing you to a new page that looks like Facebook but requires you to log in again. DON'T DO IT! At the log-in page, the hacker is now waiting for you to type in your username and password so they can collect it. Hackers usually do this to steal your identity and break into other accounts where the username and password may be the same (such as your online banking account). If you are redirected to a page where you are asked to re-enter your username and password or any personal information, scrutinize it carefully. If you are unsure and don't need to access the page, just close the window and forget about it.

Do: Read the Terms of Service.Have you ever noticed in Facebook that it appears the ads seem to be just for you? That's because Facebook scans your posting and accesses your personal information in order to learn what you like and don't like. That way they can attach appropriate advertisers to your page. It's a great way to direct-market. Make sure you read Facebook's Terms of Service and understand their role in the content you post.

Do not: Poke incessantly -- it's annoying!I think this one is pretty straightforward. Poking is a way to let someone know you are trying to get his or her attention. But there is no message attached, just the fact that you received a poke. Can you imagine if someone sat next to you and poked you all day ... it would drive me crazy!

Do: Understand the difference between private messages and the Wall.The second option at the top of your Facebook page is Profile. This is your public Wall. Think of it like a billboard on Sunset Blvd. Everyone can see everything posted to your Wall, including passersby. If you want to send a friend a private note on Facebook, then send them a message rather than posting to their Wall. The Wall is not the right place to make plans or talk about personal things.

Do not: Use Facebook to send SPAM or chain letters.Not only are SPAM and chain letters annoying, they are usually sent to gather your personal information. A chain letter is created by one person and then sent to others. But every time you forward a chain letter, there is code in the e-mail that sends all of the e-mail addresses back to the creator of the chain letter. So don't give up your personal information or that of your friends by forwarding the e-mail. I promise you will not have bad luck for 7 years!