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Social Media & Internet Safety

Learn:

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95% of teens in the U.S. are online, and a vast majority access the internet on their mobile device, making it the most common medium for cyberbullying.

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About 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online.  30% have had it happen more than once.

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About half of LGBTQ+ students experience online harassment--a higher rate than the average.

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1 in 3 teens say they have been text messaged 10-30 times an hour by a dating partner to find out where they were or who they were with at the time.

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17% of teens say their partner has made them afraid not to respond to a text/snap because of what they might do.

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29% of teens believe exchanging sexually suggestive content is expected to date or hook up.

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29% of internet sex crimes relationships were initiated online, and advocates report a growing trend of human traffickers using online social media platforms to recruit and advertise targets of human trafficking.

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https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it

https://www.guardchild.com/social-media-statistics-2/

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

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Monitor:

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  • Be on social media! This is one of the most important things you can do.

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  • Have the passwords to your child’s phone, computer and all social media sites 

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  • View the history on your child’s computers

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  • Do random phone checks.  Remember, that is your phone and your child is NOT guaranteed privacy in your home.  You have a right and  responsibility to check that they are making good choices online.

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  • Consider purchasing a Parental Control App

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/parental-control-apps

 

https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/digital-awareness-for-parentsgov/bullying/lgbtq

Recognize & Intervene

Recognize:

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Intervene:

  • Ask questions to learn what is happening, how it started and who is involved

  • Document what is happening and where.  Take screenshots of the posts if possible

  • Report using the social media platform tools if it’s a stranger.  If it’s a classmate, report it to the school.  If the child has received a physical threat, or if a potential crime has occured, call the police.  https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/how-to-report

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For more information:   

https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/how-do-i-report-suspected-incidence-human-trafficking

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Support & Reach Out

Support:

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  • Listen and give support

  • Let them know they’ve done the right thing by telling you

  • Tell them it’s not their fault

  • Do not threaten to take away their phones or shut down their social media accounts

 

Reach Out: 

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