"A recent survey reports that 48 million youth ages 5-17 regularly use the Internet. One in 33 kids and teens who use the Internet regularly have received an aggressive solicitation to meet a “cyber friend” in person. A 2003 i-SAFE study shows that more than 50% of youth who use the Internet don’t recognize the dangers involved with meeting someone in person who they have met online." (isafe.org) Teens readily post personal info online. Sixty-four percent post photos or videos of themselves, while more than half (58 percent) post info about where they live. Females are far more likely than male teens to post personal photos or videos of themselves (70 percent vs. 58 percent). (enough.org) Almost one in eight youth ages 8-18 discovered that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be much younger. (enough.org) Teaching kids about being safe on the internet is as important as teaching them to look both ways before they cross the street, not to take candy from strangers. It is the job of parents to make sure that kids are educated about being safe online. So, mama to mama... I am telling you, Practice What You Preach. Model good behavior. Facebook, My Space, Blogs, Wikis, Websites... all of these are ways for use to connect with friends, share stories and photos of our children. We do it willingly and openly, thinking we are safe, we aren't. We can all agree that we probably don't want our 8, 10 or even 16 year old child posting photos of themselves online. So then, instead of saying "Do as I say, not as I do", start modeling safe behavior. My suggestion, DON'T put images of your children online, period! It's simple...abstain from putting your children's photos online. Extreme...maybe, safe... definitely. I am constantly telling my friends and family to take their children's photos off social networking sites, nobody listens. So, think about either taking your children's photos off OR if you must keep photos online, please read through these suggestions to protect yourself and your family. - Social Networking places such as facebook and my space have privacy settings. Make sure that your settings are as strict as possible. For example, in Facebook...many people don't know that if one of your friends 'comments' on one of your photos on facebook, their friends can see the photo and all of the album even if you aren't friends with them, you can restrict this.
- Don't make your profile photo one of your children. Think about how easy it is to get information. Pedophile, sees cute kid in profile picture, knows parent's name, goes to 411.com, looks up address, finds kid. Extreme... maybe, possible.. definitely.
- Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know or people who share their accounts with others. You don't REALLY know who the person is behind the picture and profile.
- Don't ever tag your child's name in their photo.
- Don't ever share personal contact information through a social networking site.
- Don't ever give away your snapfish or photobucket user name and password.
- Don't be naive, educate yourself on ways to protect yourself.
- Don't let your children see what you are doing.
- Don't EVER let your children post their own photo online.
- Make sure your church, school, child's social club etc... don't post photos of your children online.
Scared? You should be...
Sarah Kyriazis, MEd in Technology. Sarah is the president and founder of metroMAMA. She is also a mother of three small children and a MA Certified K-12 Instructional Technologist. Email her with questions or comments about this article sarah@mymetromama.com
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 Did you know that we have an amazing resource for nursing moms in Central Massachusetts? Mothers & Company (MoCo) in Boylston not only offers prenatal breastfeeding classes and a FREE drop-in breastfeeding support group, but also the largest selection of nursing bras in the area! Why bother ordering a bra online (we all know that rarely works!) or going to one of those chain stores and buying one from a salesperson who isn't a certified in bra fitting? MoCo can fit you for a bra that is not only practical and comfortable, but that supports your breasts properly.
Avoid plugged ducts and quadro-boob with the right fit, and of course there's the added benefit that having a correct fit makes you look and feel better in (and out) of your clothes. Every postpartum mom needs that! Call for an appointment, though, as the MoCo Mommas like to give their clients individualized attention when possible. MoCo also does baby sling fittings, too. And now they offer a Lullaby Magic class for babies under 6 months, a Sitters & Scootchers class for older babies, a New Moms Group for moms with babies who aren't yet sitting, and NEW this month 2 classes for toddlers! French Playtime and Sing & Dance Along are for kids 15 months to 3 years. Give MoCo a call and register now for a class or for an appointment. 508.410.9388. See their website, www.mothersandcompany.com, for their full schedule of prenatal and parent-child classes and sign up for their eNews, too. |
Rockstars-R-Wee Get your tickets now!!! Jackie Miele, mother of two from Marlboro, MA is bringing music and dance into our children's lives. Rockstars-R-Wee (RRW) is a fun family event for everyone, especially the parents! This event will be held on the first Sunday of each month from 2-5pm at "Fusion", 109 Water Street, Worcester. The first event is October 5th tickets are reasonable at $5 for children and $10 for adults. Visit www.Rockstars-R-Wee.com or contact Jackie at jackie@rockstars-r-wee.com for more information. |
