Social Media and Tech Savvy Kids: Can You Catch Up?

Now, I love the internet and my social media sites, they are not ALL bad if they are used in the right ways.
The growth of the internet has opened the world to so many opportunities for learning, education and connection. As a homeschool family we use the internet daily for learning and education, but we also know that being online can be a huge time waster if we don't watch out.
As a mom I have tried my best to keep up with the latest technology and social media sites that my children might be visiting. All three of my kids are tech savvy and have a passion for being online.
I realized that I must stay at the same level with them and educate myself about all the possible social media sites out there. This includes knowing what apps are on their phones and what sites are visited via their laptops.

How technology and socially savvy are your kids? How close do you watch their activity on social media sites? You may think you are a media smart parent, but even the smartest of parents may not know just what those kids are up too. Letting your guard down even for a little while can have dire consequences.

Long gone are the days that we worried about our kids sneaking out and meeting others down the street in the middle of the night. Today they can be talking to anyone, anywhere in the world, right in their bedroom via their cell phone. With the advancements in technology our smartphones have almost gotten too smart. Webcams, cameras, gps tracking devices and many different apps can tell a child predator exactly where your child is and just how to lure them out and away from the safety of your home.

Case in point 13 year old Nicole Lovell, a middle school student who was killed by 2 college students just recently after being lured by one of them via the social media app named "KiK". Apparently the 13 year old was social media savvy and a victim of bullying, the college student took advantage of that and used it against her for his own selflessness. Such a beautiful young life gone.....

Story here http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/us/virginia-tech-students-arrested-girl-killed/

Middle schooler "Nicole Lovell" age 13 stabbed to death

Do you regularly check your children's phones? laptops, tablets etc? why not? Do you ask them what they are doing? Do you discuss the risks of posting online photos, tweets or posts that might not be smart or might harm someone else?

Parental controls can also be a tool to use for parents, many cell phone and internet providers have this. Control when and how your kids are accessing the internet. No cell phones at bedtime, it is proven to affect their sleep. 

Educate yourself on all the latest social media sites, apps and language that is used in text messaging. You are the parent, you pay the bills remember that. 

Tomorrow we will explore more of those social media and smart phone apps that you might need to know about.....stay tuned

Criticism vs Cruelty Know The Difference and Encourage A Change

I love this part of an article taken from "Momaquery" talking about Criticism vs Cruelty. As women, bloggers, writers, forum posters, leaders or just plan old social media posting we are confronted daily by negativeness that spawns from some deep dark place inside others. The cruel remarks that are made online to others, cyber bullying to a point is uncalled for. Sometimes it is better to keep your negative feelings to yourself and encourage others instead. Find the good in others and situations and focus on those. It is no wonder so many of our teenagers are committing suicide these days over negative bully type behavior that is reflected online toward them. These kids are learning it from their parents. Help make this planet a better place and stop complaining about it all the time!

Quoted from Glennon Doyle Melton

"I am worried about the next generation of truth-telling sisters who see all the internet cruelty and wonder if truth telling is worth the risk. Anne Lamott once said that the great thing about being a writer is that “they can’t boo you right away.” This was important to her because writers have to make themselves so incredibly vulnerable.  It seems crucial to have a buffer between the writer’s offering to the world and the world’s response to that offering. But it’s different now. In the internet generation, our writers are getting booed right away and that changes some things. It really does. Writers tend to be sensitive souls and many of us can’t withstand the barrage of negativity and anonymous pot shots and judgement. So some of us decide to stay quiet. And in turn, the rest of us miss out on hearing some really important, precious, life-giving voices. I know this for a fact, because I know many writers who've decided to lay low, to stay out of the internet fray by keeping their writing private. I know brilliant women from whom you need to hear but they can’t stand the idea of laying themselves and their families on the internet chopping block. And I get it.

If we keep up the constant attacks on our writers, I’m worried we won’t have any left.

And about this- “If they put themselves out there, they’re asking for it” argument . . . are you sure?

Is my vulnerability your free pass to be cruel? Is my exposure your free pass to abandon all goodness and decency and self control? Are you sure about that?

Because that excuse sounds dangerously close to the courtroom argument that if a woman shows herself, she deserves whatever comes next. Her skirt was too short- I could see her legs- she was asking for it. Her shirt was cut too low- I could see her breasts- she was asking for it. She wrote too truthfully- I could see her heart- she asked for it.

If a woman decides to reveal a part of herself- that is not an excuse for other people to hurt her. And if you do decide to hurt her where she’s vulnerable- if you see a part of her that’s showing and pounce on that part- if you sink your teeth into her exposed flesh – that shows who YOU are, not who she is.

Revealing the truth about who God made me does not release you from your responsibility to be a decent human being.

Be critical, fine, that’s fair. But don’t be cruel. Every damn one of us knows the difference.

If you are not kind on the internet, then you’re not kind.

Love Wins,

Glennon Doyle Melton,  truth teller +hope spreader"

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Thank you Glennon for inspiring me tonight to get that off my chest, I want to raise loving compassionate children that can use constructive criticism to grow and learn from, not knock others down. 

Oh No You Don't :11 Facts About Bullying , WakeUp! Do Something #atozchallenge

What can you do about bullying? 
Teach your kids what bullies are, what cyberbullies are. Respect for others begins at home, teach your kids to respect others, that way they don't become the bully.
Have a plan if your child is ever bullied, they already know it is ok to come to you and tell you about the activity. If a friend is being bullied it is ok to tell a parent or another adult, just standing by and doing nothing will not help the problem go away. 
Educate yourself and your family about violence. Do it now!

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies Psalm18:3
Psalm 55:22  Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

 

11 Facts about Bullying that just tear my hide up! As a mom especially. 

• Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.

• 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4 percent of the time.

• Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.

• 1 in 7 students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

• 56 percent of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.

• Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.

• 71 percent of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

• 90 percent of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.

• 1 out 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.

• Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75 percent of school-shooting incidents.

• Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school.  Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.

• A 2009 survey found that 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

These statistics are sickening and embarrassing to me, I can not believe that in America we can let this kind of activity go on in our school systems, systems that our tax dollars pay for!!
Another reason I will continue to homeschool my children until they graduate high school. Now I do realize that they can be bullied anywhere at anytime, even online, but they have been educated enough to know that it is wrong and will not be tolerated. This momma bear would not be happy if she found out her child had been bullied and somebody stood by watching and did nothing.
As a parent, I can not believe that other parents let bullying occur in schools without raising the roof off the school building.
Just my personal opinion. They say homeschool kids are not socialized, my teen daughter told me she did not want to socialize with bullies and drama, she wants to learn, that is why she is happy at home. 

                        Source: infographicsarchive.com via Joann on Pinterest