This blog post is part-of a series of posts related to a segment on The View re: the SECRET LIVES OF TECH-CONNECTED TEENS. Today's teens really are the first group to grow up online. The average 15 year old has never lived a day without a computer in their home or classroom. That's unprecedented & it makes technology instinctive for young people in a way it never will be for adults. Some refer to today's youth as the digital natives – those who have always had technology as a part of their lives.

Many teens seemingly have iPod earbuds in their ears around the clock, they covet their laptop if they're lucky enough to have one and they practically consider their cellphone an extension of their body. But what are they doing will all that stuff? And with technology such a huge part of teens' lives, how can parents keep track of what content kids are viewing when they go online; what they're texting back and forth on their cellphones and who they're communicating with? It's no easy task.
Today's blog post focuses on teens and social-networking sites and include tips for parents to help them stay in the game and keep their kids safe on these sites.
Teens & Social-Networking Sites
Social networking has become a huge part of our culture. Web sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo & AimProfiles have become a common trend among teens. Social-networking sites are a social way to express yourself. If you really want to get to know your child, take a look at their page. To be fair, consider giving them 24 hours notice, so they can make any "adjustments" they'd like to make.
Stress to your teen the importance of making sure they keep the page "private" (accessible only by friends or family they've "rostered in") & keep a close eye on the pages of their friends. As teens explore their identities, a lot of the photos they post online can be very suggestive. If you really want to get in the game, sign yourself up for Facebook, Bebo or MySpace. You may get a little push-back initially (i.e. OMG my mom's on Facebook!"), but they'll play it cool if you don't overplay your hand.

Your teen's online reputation should be
considered their credit score for the 21st century.
Talk to Your Teen About Their Online Reputation
Here's where this is likely to evolve and why it's important for your teenagers to understand these sites are essentially personal marketing ... everything communicates & ultimately what you project becomes your "online reputation." Having a really well put-together, thoughtful page can send all the right messages to a potential college admissions officer or employer. But, it can also backfire. Think of your online reputation as a credit score for the 21st century. This can help teens guard against some of the common pitfalls:
* Being too risque.
* Suggestive (even incriminating) photos that can easily be circulated among classmates.
* Spending an inordinate amount of time updating page (disruptive to other responsibilities).
* Winning the online popularity contest at all costs.
And keep in mind, pre-teens want to do what teens do. Social-networking is intended for ages 13 and up, because younger children don't have the judgement to make appropriate decisions on these sites. There are some sites emerging for younger kids, but expect to get hounded when your child hits ages 11-12, that "everyone" is doing it. Hold firm. The age restriction is their for a reason.
Another reason to be involved in your teens online lives is to protect them from becoming victims of "internet-stalking" or online predators. Remember, anything personal information posted online makes it that much easier for someone to be tracked down offline.
Red Flags for Teen Profiles
1. Posting personal information: Address, home town, dorm #, full name, cell phone number, school name. Putting anything online that makes you findable in the offline world is a big no-no.
2. "Giving away" their location: Posting pictures of themselves in front of their school sign, in front of the license plate on their car or the place where they work, could lead someone to them.
3. Talking to strangers: Kids may like the idea of meeting new people online, but that cute 14 year old might not be so cute and might not be 14. Predators can easily hide behind a fake picture and profile to gain the trust of a child, later attempting to arrange an in person meeting.
4. Saucy Screen Names & Provocative Pics: Screen names shouldn't include provocative language ("cutie," "hot" and the like) that draws the wrong sort of attention. As for pictures, if you wouldn't post it on a highway billboard, don't put it on MySpace.
5. The Three P's: Teens shouldn't post anything they wouldn't want parents, their principal or predators to know or to see.
Tips for Parents
1. Know the motivation: Ask your kids why they're doing this in first place. To meet new people? Express themselves? To be cool on campus? Teens say MySpace is so mainstream, there's pressure for them to have a profile on the site or they risk not being part of the "in" crowd.
2. Look at their page: Tell them you want to see their profile page (for the first time) ... tomorrow. This gives them 24 hours to remove anything that isn't appropriate and keeps it from becoming a "gotcha" moment. It that approach doesn't work, you can search for them on the sites – by name e-mail address or their school. You may be surprised how much you learn both good and bad.
3. Private vs. public – know the difference: Most social-networking sites make it possible for users to make their page "private," so they can roster in their friends or classmates vs. allowing any registered user to view their page and contact them.
4. Float the worst case scenario: We've all heard the stories about in-person meetings going bad. The simple fact is, people can "be" anyone they choose to be online. Just because they posted or sent you a picture, does not mean it is THEIR picture. Make sure your young person is aware of the headline stories.
5. Use Parental Controls: Take advantage Parental Controls and online timers offered by your ISP. Some parents worry about invading their child's privacy with blocking or monitoring software or by reading their Web diaries. Sites like MySpace are a privilege; a computer is a privilege. A parent needs to be a parent and that may mean using monitoring software.
6. Don't over-react: These sites are enormously popular and it's unlikely they'll disappear anytime soon. The key is for adults not to panic and force kids to hide their online activity, at which point no one can monitor them.
I spoke with a lot of teen and pre-teen parents in preparation for this segment & must say, am really impressed (and inspired) by how genuinely interested parents are in staying on top of tech trends as they relate to their children. They instinctively seem to know being on top of their teen's online life and helping them mature with and through it, is a critical part of modern day parenting. Parenting remains the tricky part. The tech-piece just accelerates things. The good news is the more you know about the overall trends and the better feel you can get for your teen's tech style, the more you'll be able to apply the same parenting instincts you use when it comes to everything from dating to driving.

For additional tips and information on everything from social-networking safety to tips on dealing with Cyber-Bullying, log on to www.safetyclicks.com.
Tomorrow, we'll continue this series of blog posts along these lines by taking a closer look at teens and texting – and an alarming new trend emerging that's being referred to as "sexting."
Related post: Teen Tech Trends: Parents are on it!