Teens and Technology…Parents, Don’t Be Left Behind!

Does your teen use instant-messenger? (duh; probably a silly question.) Does your teen communicate via text messaging? How about downloading music, watching online videos, listening to podcasts, playing online games, participating in social networking sites….? Are you familiar with using the same technologies that your teen uses?

If you don’t utilize today’s technology as your teenager does, this will have a negative impact on your ability to provide important guidance for your teenager.

As I write this, I will confess that I’m struggling to catch up myself. Certainly it feels like the technological options available to me are ahead of my need for them, and it’s a burden to keep up with this learning curve. For some of you, this web 2.0 change is easy and natural. But I hear from many of you that you are way, way behind in using the new technologies. Take note: If you are raising teens, you are living dangerously if you are too far behind in this area.

I spoke to a group of parents recently and had a conversation with a mom who was reeling from a disturbing experience with her young son. Her socially awkward 6th grade boy had been visiting online sites that she described as her “worst nightmare.” She and her husband were forced into having conversations with her young teen that were difficult and awkward, as they tried to teach him about appropriate adult activities, degradation, and the ugly side of the internet and human behavior. She felt he was not developmentally ready for any of this to be discussed, and yet because of his browsing online, they needed to address it directly. They took away his internet access entirely until they can come up with an appropriate way to monitor his activities.

Kids are a couple of clicks away from nasty, graphic, disturbing images and activities. The internet is forcing parents to have uncomfortable, yet essential, discussions.

Be proactive about using all the technologies that your teen uses so that you can be proactive about guiding your teenager’s safe and smart decisions. You can’t provide guidance in an area in which you aren’t familiar. Invest the necessary time.

We’ll be discussing this essential topic more in future posts. In the meanwhile, here are some links to helpful informational websites. (If you have others you would like to suggest, please add them in the comment area.)

http://www.wiredsafety.org/

http://www.isafe.org/
http://www.netsmartz.org/

Don’t get caught on the wrong side of the digital divide.