Mimi Rothschild On 6 Ways to Keep Homeschoolers Safe on Social Networks

Mimi Rothschild On 6 Ways to Keep Homeschoolers Safe on Social Networks 

The popularity of social networking continues to grow among kids. Many kids spend an incredible amount of time on Facebook. Are social networking sites safe for homeschooling children? Facebook is a public forum. In that sense, it is not safe. Children or adults for that matter can also be exploited for any number of malevolent purposes.
Estimates are that the number of users on Facebook that are between the ages of 13 and 18 in 2009 was 10.7 million.
1. The key to a safe online experience is parental supervision. According to the BBB “Even if they’re intimidated by technology, parents need to supervise their child’s computer use in the house as well as educate their kids on how to play it safe online.”

2. Explain to your children the difference between sharing and oversharing.  While social networking is about sharing photos, thoughts and experiences, explain to your kids that they should never share personal information such as their pictures, pictures of their homes, information about their school or after school activities, where they are going, where they have been, phone numbers, address, bank account numbers, passwords, or their Social Security numbers.  Role play with them to get them to see how easy it is to extract information from them. In this situation you may even want to try to trick them the way a predator might try to trick them online. 

3. “Never talk to strangers” applies online too and anyone could be masquerading as someone you know but really be a stranger!  The first rules we teach our kids is to never talk to strangers; never was this more true then when online.
4. Set strict privacy settings – Social networking sites let users determine who they want to share information with. Talk to your child about restricting access to his or her profile to only friends or users in safe networks such as their school, clubs or church groups.

5. Keep the channels of communication open – Let your kids know that you are always ready to talk if they are ever threatened, bullied or feel uncomfortable about an experience they had online.

6. Join them. Set up your own account in the same social networks. This will help you better understand what social networking is all about. You can also then “Friend” your child and keep an eye on what they are doing.

Mimi Rothschild

Co-Founder, http://www.TheMorningStarAcademy.org