When your kids plug into the internet or the cellular networks, they instantly become full-fledged members of a worldwide community. They have instant access to every other person who is also wandering around in that world. And, of course, someone coined a cute name for it: Netizens. (Well, I refuse to refer to them by that stupid name.) But it …
Sexting Part 7: What To DO If Your Kid has Sexted (part 2)
This article is the seventh and final column in the series on how parents can address the issue of sexting with their teenage children. It is the continuation of suggestions begun in Part 6 on what to do if you discover your kid has sexted. Inform the parents of the co-sextee. While you are not responsible for determining what is …
Sexting Part 6: What to DO if your kid has sexted (part 1)
This article is the sixth in a series on how parents can address the issue of sexting with their teenage children (because, apparently, there is never enough to say about this topic). The first part of this series emphasized the importance of educating yourself as a parent and talking to your kids about sexting as well as internet and social …
Sexting Part 5-What to Say If Your Kid Has Been Sexting (continued)
Talk about the risks. Here’s the list. Sending pictures of yourself when you are younger than 18 is distributing pornography. Having a picture of yourself stored on a phone, computer, etc. (or recoverable from the secret, undeleted areas of things you have deleted on your device) is possession of child pornography. Having pictures of your sext buddy who is under …
Sexting Part 1-Having the Talk
There is a perfect storm that has arisen around teenagers and sex: the internet, technology, the sexualization of our culture, stupid teenagers (and politicians and professional athletes and . . .), the rise of Romance and the ability to be anonymous (or at least avoid direct, face to face contact) when interacting with other people. All this has conspired to …
Tech Free Family Renaissance
Technology has taken over our lives in both wonderful and annoying ways. Here’s a particular question that can have a troubling answer. What is the longest you and especially your kids have gone without using electronic technology? Most of us don’t realize the ways in which our reliance on and responsiveness to technology has filled every moment with some kind …
Developmental Stages of Access to Social Media Grades 11-12, Part II
Will the torment ever end? Yes, with this column. We have finally reached the end of this interminable series on trudging through developmental considerations for access to and use of social media and the internet. Eleventh and 12th graders use of cell phones, social media accounts and video games will be covered and then we’re outa here. Cell Phones. By …
Developmental Stages of Access to Social Media Grades 9-10, Part III
This column continues the series about setting limits on your kid’s access to and use of social media and the internet. The topic for this column is video games and social media accounts. It is the third part of the expectations and recommendations for kids in grades 9 and 10. (If strategies or information have been covered in previous columns …
Developmental Stages of Access to Social Media Grades 7-8, Part III
This column continues the series about setting limits on your kid’s access to and use of social media and the internet. The topic for this column is video games and social media accounts. It is the third part of the expectations and recommendations for kids in grades 7 and 8. If strategies or information have been covered in previous columns …
Developmental Stages of Access to Social Media: Grades 7-8, Part II
This column continues the series on setting limits on your kid’s access to and use of social media and the internet. The topic for this column is cell phones. It is the second part of the expectations and recommendations for kids in grades 7 and 8. If strategies or information have been covered in previous columns from earlier ages, you …