For anyone who knows a teenager, it won’t come as a shock that one quarter of kids age 13 to 17 are online “almost constantly.”
A lot of that time is spent communicating with friends and peers: texting, Instagramming and Snapchatting. And for parents, a lot of that communication goes unseen and unheard.
Although parents can’t possibly monitor all of their children’s online interactions, they can help set the tone for healthy online relationships.
First, they can address the subject often, and try to maintain an open dialogue with teens about their online behaviour. Second, they can help teens identify signs of trouble when it comes to online behaviour: are their friends using social media to spy on, humiliate, or ostracize others?
If you’re looking for a way to get the conversation started, this downloadable printable, tip sheet on online relationships offers a roundup of advice on:
- How to recognize an abusive online relationship
- How to talk to teens about online relationships
- Signs that your teen is being cyberbullied
- What to do if your teen is being cyberbullied
- Online abuse – It’s closer than you think
- Teens and the search for social privacy online
- Cyberbullying: Why Youth Don’t Tell and How Parents Can Help
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