Virtual Gifts

"Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant." (Mitch Kapor)

Social Media is ... *No longer a fad; embedded in our daily lives *Reshaping and shrinking our world – it’s global *A business investment *A means to expand our influence *An avenue to promote awareness *A powerful and instant communications tool *Telling of dynamics “in the street” *Now a platform for debate and dissent *A force (good/bad? You decide) *Not to be ignored…

Beware, YOU MUST Be Aware — The Internet as a Gateway •Opens new channels for criminals to

conduct criminal activities (social media, text/video chat rooms, and more)

•Networks such as TOR , KIK allow high anonymity and perpetrate sharing of adolescent criminal content

Our e-world — Social Media allows us to … Stay in touch with family/friends from afar (Re) connect with distant friends Get instant info: news, births, deaths,

events… Telecommute / Work remotely Take advantage of time-saving tools Express ourselves and causes (blog, email,

text message) Gather information at our fingertips in mere

seconds Be ‘green’ (QR code boarding passes!) Learn about others

Deciphering

Social Media

RAISING TEENS

AND THE IMPACT

OF SOCIAL MEDIA

“On twitter we get excited if someone follows us. In real life, we get really

scared and run away.” www.thenickyblog.com

Karen Perez, PsyD, PhD, Psychologist 734-748-5796

www.ccms-cwc.com

Individual & Family Counseling

Karalee & Associates 1308 South Main Street Plymouth, MI 48170 OFC: 734-451-3440 or 734-927-4400 www.Karaleeandassociates.com

“I am Social Media — “Social media is about

sociology and psychology more than technology - Brain Solis, FutureWorks

INTERNET SAFETY IS AN ONGOING LESSON;

so with your TEENS ...

Discuss the possibilities of cyberbullying:

victim, participant, bystander

Discuss the possibility of ”safely” telling

on a friend who is in trouble or in danger

from online activity

Discuss pornography and your views

Discuss relationships and sexual relation-

ships: what they entail, what is a healthy

relationship, etc.

INTERNET SAFETY — INFORMATIONAL SITES

www.isafe.org

www.ourpact.com

www.WiredSafety.org

www.cyberbullying

www.enough.org

www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org

www.cyberbullyhelp.com

www.netfamilynews.org

www.ikeepsafe.org

*Family members text each other in the next room

*(Pre)Teens develop alter-egos/online personalities

*Anonymous online bullying occurs, GLBTQ youth commit suicide at alarming rates and hate groups recruit online

*Children are exhibiting long-term pain conditions from spending hours repeating the same movements on their phones and games (obesity, vision changes, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, spinal disorders, nerve and muscle dysfunction, neck and arm disorders, pulmonary)

*Parents need to seek out:

*new technologies and address “sexting” and “sextortion”

*TeenTextAddict.com to ease family tension, lower massive cell bills, and uninterrupted dinner and conversations

Millenial Perspective Openness is second nature

There’s no better time than NOW!

There’s no such thing as a stranger (rank and

social order are less relevant)

Less boundaries than any other generation

when it comes to access of information and

people

Whether you like it or not —

There is NO PRIVACY Beware of lurkers, predators, phishers (identity theft)

Open to spam, viruses

Permanence of blogs, webpages, social sites

Who do you *really* know

Netiquette : http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

Downloading can be criminal

CONCERNED? Reach Out ! YOU know your child best!

YOU have parenting instincts … trust them!

YOU are the most influential teacher and model

for your child!

YOU know more than you think you do about

the internet!

YOU can be a part of the cyber world

Tips to Surviving & Thriving in the Social Media World

HINTS & IDEAS FOR SAFETY AND REALITY

•Become one with it – use it to your advantage: find

inspiration and information; engage/get active —

SAFELY

•Rules from “real” life apply: courtesy, kindness,

modesty, dignity, respect for the law and for others,

etc.

•Warn children not to reveal any identifying

information or to have an in-person meeting with

someone online

•Join same networks, share passwords, etc. – learn

how the site operates; work to set reasonable

expectations

•Keep your private information private; don’t talk to

strangers —THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS !!

•There are no guarantees that what you say or post on

the Internet is private — Google yourself

• Parent-Child Interaction — Remind teens to trust

their instincts and remind teens that they can trust you

•Don’t be fooled (Big Brother knows, be media and

marketing-literate)

•Be safe, be smart; think before you press the submit

button

•Limit your circle of online “friends” and adjust your

security settings

•Talk to your children about their online id’s and safety

(view their pictures/posts and friend them)

• Spending offline time with family

•Talk to your partner/teen face-to-face; pay attention

to your child —invite your teen out (leave iPad at

home put your cell phone away)

How teens are using the internet .. INFORMATION: News, Blogs, Databases, Google “ing”, Wikipedia

COMMUNICATION: Email, Texting, Blogs,

SOCIALIZATION: Social Networking Sites- Facebook, YouTube,

SnapChat, Twitter and more

ENTERTAINMENT: YouTube, Games

COMMERCE: Amazon, EBay, Banking & Finance

….& combinations of everything!

Social Media and its effects on youth

Impact of high exposure on behavior

and mental health

•Middle schoolers (early adolescence) and High

Schoolers (later adolescence) use more media than

any other age group (> 12 hrs/day)

•Cyberbullying, CyberExtortion, Sextortion, Predators,

Cyberstalking, Child Pornography, CyberEnticement

• Lower academic achievement, grades

• Lower attachment to school , friends, activities

• Among youth WHO REPORT internet harassment

victimization and unwanted sexual encounters

(sexting), 25% report extreme upset

• Induced fear and phobias

• Media multi‐tasking affects attention; shorter

attention spans; poor use of time (pseudo ADD)

• Reality vs. fantasy; one night stands (STI’s)

• Behavioural changes; suicide, self-harm

• Aggression and violence

• Tendency to be alone

• Anxiety problems—body image, drug & alcohol use

• Privacy issues

• Stress/hypertension

• Over exposure to unwanted (sexual) content

Family Affairs Today