The Real Online Threat

3. Talk about social networking and set age limits. These sites weren’t designed for thirteen-year-olds, but as any parent of multiple children will tell you, little sisters and little brothers grow up fast and are exposed to lots of things before they should be. Dretzin says she’ll let her children explore social networking sites when they are in seventh grade, but with “strict parental supervision.” She says children shouldn’t be allowed to converse unsupervised in these networks until they are in high school as middle school kids aren’t mature enough to handle bullying or chatting about death and suicide. If you think your younger children might be exposed to this while at other houses, talk about it with them and explain your fears calmly.

4. Understand if your teen creates another persona online—and don’t jump to conclusions that this means your teen is in grave danger. Having a blog is a creative outlet and as long as you feel your child isn’t posting private information or inappropriate information, go with it. In many ways, this is a creative outlet for them and a way for you to get to know them better. Just be upfront with them that you plan to read their blogs.   

5. Try to remain a parent that your child can turn to. Keep communication lines open. And above all, remain calm when talking with them.

I think the point that came across the most in Dretzin’s documentary is that the Internet is just an outlet—a conduit for kids. Kids are the same today as they were thirty years ago. As parents we still have the main responsibility to raise children who are respectful of others. If a child has little respect for differences in race or culture or has little empathy for those with less—that child will behave poorly online. Perhaps even more so as children in Dretzin’s documentary admit that being online gives them the ability to hide behind a screen and say things they otherwise might not. We need to be aware, not terrified, and help our children navigate this world. What we can’t do is leave them alone for hours on end with a computer screen beckoning in their bedrooms—with little to no preparation for the world they are entering.