Jeff Bezos is a name we have seen highly covered in the media recently. A man who was once only talked about in relation to his fortune and profitable businesses, is now under fire after explicit images and text messages of his were leaked.
How does this relate to WebWatcher you might ask? Well if the richest man in the world could have his private photos and texts exposed, then what is stopping your teen from being a victim one day?
Teens live their lives on their phones. They join social media sites and send messages, photos, and videos to friends. Growing up in a digital age has made it so the concept of “privacy” seems foreign to them. They share everything they do, from what they like to where they go. Though at times it may seem like a non-issue, it is crucial to talk to your children about how revealing too much information has the potential to be very dangerous.
Key Messages to Remind Your Teens are:
-Keep private information private. Make sure that your child knows how to protect and conceal their information on any site they sign up for. Also, be mindful of what they may send to their friends or love interests. Remind them to not send or post anything that they wouldn’t want shared on the front page of a newspaper.
-Share with them the importance of listening to their intuition. If something they are doing on their phone doesn’t feel right, chances are it probably isn’t. Remind them to never allow anyone to pressure them into doing something they are not comfortable with.
-Pictures and texts last forever. No matter if they are sent through messaging services or social media platforms, they can always be retrieved. Teach your children about the importance of their digital footprint, and how everything they do online will follow them for the rest of their lives.
-Most importantly, if your teen does find themselves in trouble online make sure he/she knows that he/she can always come to you for help.
Parental monitoring software can help you supervise your teen’s online activities, while at the same time encouraging them to practice responsible digtial behavior. To find out more about how parental monitoring software can help you monitor your teen’s internet behavior, get our risk free trial.
