Our series on Teen and Technology continues this week from information shared by Jessica Wong, Hazelden Community Outreach Director, at a community seminar held in September.
- Set up new phones and devices for safety. Activate all parental controls on all devices and install additional parental control software and applications as needed.
- Educate yourself on the school rules around cell phone use. Do not rely on feedback from your child regarding technology use expectations.
- Hold a family meeting to discuss the important terms of agreement for the use of the cell phone or tablet.
- Ask kids to run apps they would like to download by you for approval.
- Review important topics with your child such as oversharing; what to do if you or someone you know is being cyber-bullied, do not give out personal information online, and never meet someone in person that they met online.
- Parents get passwords to all devices. This is non-negotiable.
Over 20% of teens say they have sent nude photos of themselves via apps or text messaging. A third of college-age students have participated.