A few months ago I attended a parenting class at my church. One of the dads was expressing how it is our job to monitor our teen’s use of technology. Of course that makes sense, right? But as I pointed out, it isn’t always so easy.
Let’s face it…teens usually know more about technology than we do. That means they can get around things.
For instance, some parents look at the computer’s history to see which websites their children have been on. But most kids know how to clear out their history.
A recent survey from McAfee found that 71% of teens hide what they do online from their parents. This includes sharing risqué content to visiting adult websites.
One of the problems is that children, without even trying, could end up somewhere they shouldn’t be. They Google something innocent and an image or website comes up that redirects them to something they shouldn’t look at. Unfortunately, the temptation can sometimes be more than they can handle.
But for those teens that are hiding what they do online, there are ways around a parent’s monitoring. For instance, they can create secondary email and Facebook accounts that you aren’t aware of.
Here’s another way around your monitoring. Even if your teen friends you on Facebook, they can block you from seeing status updates and pictures. About the only way you can avoid this is having your teen’s password to their Facebook account. But remember, they could still have a second account you don’t know about.
The McAfee survey also found that parents are aware that computers have parental controls but most don’t use them because they are too complicated. Of course, the computer isn’t the only way teens can access the internet anyway. If your teen has a smartphone or they own an iPod, they can go online.
Instant messaging is another way that teens communicate online but most of them hide or delete their conversations. Of course, the same is true with texting. They can easily delete their messages so that you can’t check.
More and more, teens are gaining the upper hand on what they can do with technology. Parents need to be aware of this and not assume (as apparently most do) that their teens are always honest about what they do online.
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