In today’s society, more and more people are relying on social media to stay connected and communicate with family and friends.  Naturally, this trickles down to elementary students who often become more savvy at navigating social media than their parents. Like other aspects of young people’s lives, it is essential that parents monitor their children’s presence on social media.  Most sites do not allow minors to have their own accounts; if you choose to allow your child to be active on social media, you should be the owner of the account, keep all passwords, and monitor the account regularly. Parents should account for all friends/followers and not allow children to correspond with strangers, including chat rooms in video games.  Use shared accounts as an opportunity to teach your children about the benefits and perils of social media and an online presence. Especially teach them the following:

• Protect all personal information, including name, address, age, and passwords

• Be aware of inappropriate communications, including acting or receiving bullying behavior

• Limit social media time to appropriate amounts (parents need to model this too!)

• Do not access personal social media accounts at school

• Be aware of one’s internet “footprint.” Images and words are never completely deleted and can have significant impact on lives

• Model appropriate and healthy use of social media with responsible family and friends

Obtain more info from the INTERNET SAFETY section.