by Meredith Scott

Created on: November 18, 2009

Ways parents can help their children safely use facebook

Addictive and popular are two words that can be used to describe Facebook, a social network that allows you to connect with friends, family and prospective business associates around the world. People of all ages have caught on to the Facebook craze. The interactive internet site offers you the opportunity to connect with old friends and family by providing you with a list of people that share characteristics with you including schools you have attended, cities you live in or have lived and people you have come in contact with in your lifetime. The site also offers you the opportunity to stay abreast of the events surrounding your favorite entertainers, restaurants, sports teams, authors and more. You can even relieve a little stress or take a break from the day with their interactive social games including Mafia Wars, Farmville, Sorority Life, etc.

Facebook has put a number of ways to protect its users from viruses, spamming, and unwelcomed attention. These security actions include captcha puzzles, confirmation of friend requests, privacy policies and specific application settings. But like with any internet site, there are those predators waiting to pounce with their cyber bullying, hacking and computer crashing viruses. As an adult, it is easier to recognize the characteristics of these predators and take the necessary precautions and actions to fight back. But children, who have found their way to Facebook, do not always recognize the signs of someone who is a predator and not a friend.

The best way to protect your child as a Facebook user is to be a friend. Once your child has established a Facebook page, encourage them to add you as a friend. If you do not have a Facebook page, sign up for one. This will allow you to monitor their friend list. While this suggestion may be met with objections and resistance, this is a good time to enforce your parental control. You will get an idea of who your child is surrounding themselves with, including anyone you may not approve of because of age, sex, or interests.

Facebook offers its users the opportunity to share pictures and video with their friends. In an era where children are sexting to one another and exchanging inappropriate pictures on their cell phones, monitoring picture postings is important. It will ensure that your child is not sharing inappropriate pictures and that no one is sharing inappropriate pictures with your child. Acceptable pictures may be a simple school portrait, family pictures, friends and social events.

Finally, a good way to ensure that your child is protected is to establish a set of guidelines when using Facebook. Designate times that your child may use Facebook, so that it does not interfere with their academic performance. Conduct a monthly Facebook sweep, where you will go on their Facebook page to monitor their posts, photo albums, Fan pages, etc. Prohibit the use of foul language in their posts and other forms of posting that may hurt them in the long run. This is especially important for high school students who are pursuing a post secondary education, employment and other social opportunities. Colleges and employers often use Facebook to narrow down candidates for an employment position or college acceptance.

When you think back to your childhood, you know that there is no way to monitor your child's every move. But being active in their life, knowing their comings and goings, gives you the opportunity to rest easier at night because you are the sole contributor to their safety.

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