Health and Fitness : Online safety tips for parents of teens

As adults we know our kids don’t always exercise great judgment. When bad judgement is on display through social media the damage is multiplied and shared with the entire world. Worse yet, there are creepy people who actively look for kids to be “friends” with.

Keeping up with all the new social media sites, their dangers and privacy settings sometimes feels like an impossible task. But here are some simple fixes to help keep your kids safer on the most popular sites.

Instagram: switch on “Private Account” in “options” to prevent strangers from viewing your kids’ photos.

Snapchat: These messages are supposed to self-destruct, but more than one young person’s compromising thoughts or photos have shown up all over the web. Keep unkown people from contacting your children by restricting “Who Can Contact Me” to “My Friends” and be sure to block strangers.

Omegle: an “anonymous” video-chatting service that isn’t at all anonymous if connected to Facebook. The recommendation is not to allow it.

Facebook: As for Facebook the list of potential privacy problems is vast, but a few simple steps like blocking who can see your information can help. Click on the link Facebook Privacy for basic privacy instructions and ideas.

This list was adapted from Wired Magazine, July 2016