How to Discuss Internet Safety with Your Teen
Are you the parent of a teenager who uses the internet? If you are, have you already had the internet safety talk with your teenager? If you haven’t, it is time for that talk to occur. As nice as it is to be able to use the internet for school research projects or to communicate with friends online, it is important to remember that the internet can also be a danger to children and teenagers.
As nice as it is to hear that you should talk to your teenager about internet safety, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. Bringing up the subject can be hard, as your teen may automatically become defensive. The good news is that you do have a number of different options. One of those options is to just go for it.
When you outright discuss internet safety with your teenager, make sure that you pick a good time to have the talk. Don’t start ranting right away about your teen’s internet use and the dangers after a disagreement or when tensions are already high. With teenagers, this can lead to other problems. It may cause your teenager to not listen to you just for the point of not listening or they may purposely defy you.
Another option that you have, when looking to discuss internet safety with your child, is to wait until your child gets off the
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Even if your child stops you and tells you they already know how to be safe online, don’t stop. Be sure to restate your point and establish any internet rules you would like your child to follow. It is important to remember that many teenagers think they know everything, but many don’t. For example, your child may know that there are internet predators out there, but do they also know that pictures of them smoking or drinking underage could get them suspended from school or even arrested, no matter how “cool,” they look on a MySpace