We cherish our children! Any parent knows that having a child is a blessing and no matter if they are 2 or 40 we will always protect them! Sometimes we get too comfortable and think that all of the people are good outside our front door. Sadly, this is just a dream. The reality is, you’re not safe anywhere but you can still live a happy life as long as you follow some safety rules.

Think of the worst possible thing that could happen to your child. Have that image? It’s not pretty is it? It wasn’t pretty for Jessica Ridgeway’s mother when she realized her 10 year old daughter didn’t make it to school one morning either.  Jessica was a 5^th Grader in Westminster, CO. She was walking to school one Friday morning and never arrived. She was kidnapped and murdered because a predator was stalking her route to school.

A parent’s biggest fear is going through what Jessica’s family is currently facing. Balloon releases to heaven, students going to counseling to deal with the events of their lost friend, neighbors locking their doors and checking them twice for fear of someone taking their own children. The guilt of being thankful it is not your child that was kidnapped…it doesn’t end. We need to educate ourselves on safety; not only on street safety but especially in today’s world, technology safety!

 Internet Technology

95% of teens are online from the age of 12-17.

The world of technology is rapidly growing especially on the internet! 95% of teens are online! What are they doing? They are probably loading the newest pictures onto their facebook page, watching videos with friends on youtube, playing an online game and chatting with new friends. Maybe they are taking advantage of their technology and researching a topic for a History paper. No matter what they are doing, kids love technology but they need to know that just because no one is physically watching them, they can still be harmed through technology.  Sadly, there are a lot of parents who know very little about technology.

1. Monitor use of technology. Keep the computer in a high traffic area of your home.

2. Establish limits for which online sites children may visit and for how long.

3. Surf the internet with your child and let them show you what they like to do online.

4. Never give out personal information on any piece of technology! No one should be asking you for it! If they are, this is a RED FLAG!  Personal information includes, your name, address, phone number, e mail address, what school you go to and even photos!

5. Never agree to meet someone you met online! Remember that people may be pretending to be someone they are not!

6. Talk to your child about “grooming”.  Use examples and show real stories like “Amy”, 15 who traveled out of state to meet the “Love of her life” or “Justin” 13 who set up his web cam to meet friends only to meet a man telling him he’d pay him $50 to take off his shirt and sit bare chested for three minutes! (He even helped him set up a paypal account), reported by the New York Times.

7. Know who is connecting with your child through technology and set rules for social networking, emailing, chatting, web cams, etc.

8. Continually dialogue with your child about technology safety!

9. Be up to date with the new technology out there, if it’s in the schools know your kids will more than likely want one i.e. ipod touch, nook, kindle fire, smart phone. If you get one for your child, know how to use it yourself.

10. Never get involved in cyberbullying or let anyone cyberbully you!  Amanda Todd let it get the best of her and sadly she committed suicide.

Cell Phone Technology

 75% of teenagers and 58% of 12 year olds have a cell phone

How many times have you seen a child on their cell phone texting? It seems to be the new way of communication. A teenager would rather break up with someone through a text than in person or by actually dialing a phone number. Thankfully cell phone carriers offer unlimited texting or else parents would be looking for a second job to pay for texting bills.

The technology available today is overwhelming for parents especially when they can put it in their backpacks and carry it with them. This mobile technology makes it harder for parents to monitor what their children are doing since they can access it at anytime away from home. You can still educate your child and yourself to ensure your children are using technology for a positive outcome instead of getting themselves into trouble. What makes this challenging is that a cell phone is so much more with the internet access, gaming ability and cameras.

1. Talk about cell phone bullying.

2. Be a role model with your own technology. Don’t text and drive!

3. Remind your child that anything they send on their cell phone or any piece of technology can be easily forwarded and shared.

4. Research the security settings when shopping for a new phone for your child.

5. Establish rules for when they are allowed to use their cell phone.

6. Review your child’s cell phone records every month. Look out for late night texts and calls and unknown numbers.

7. Talk to your child about sexting. Sending inappropriate photos to one another can be very harmful.

8. Role play with your child. “Have you ever gotten a text from someone you didn’t know? What did you do?”

9. Put a parental tracker on your child’s phone so you can see where they are at all times. Verizon has an app called “Family Locator” for $9.99 a month you can add it to your plan! Ask your cell phone company if they have an app like this for your technology.

10. Make sure your child has a back up battery if ever they are in a bad situation and need their phone.

Helpful Websites

* You can buy software from sources such as SpectorSoft to monitor your child’s technology use. Of course you want to give your children privacy but at anytime if your gut tells you something may be up this is a great piece of technology for a parent to have.

* No one wants to know the harsh truth of others but it’s important to be aware of your environment! To see a list of sex offenders in your area a helpful site for families is: www.familywatchdog.us. Here you can actually register and receive updates from the latest registered offenders!

* Sadly there are sex offenders around you. If you are concerned and worried for your child’s safety you can find support and tips and Take Action!

* Technology is growing everyday! Parents need to keep up to date of the latest gadgets and gizmos all of the kids are wanting so they learn how to control them and keep their child safe! Websites like www.coolest-gadgets.com can help you see the newest technology devices and you can read reviews. They will even show you what the hot new technology gift is!

* There are also apps for nearly every phone if your child wants to play with it you can set a parental control app on it so kids have limited access. If you have a blackberry you can download a parental app restricting use on your browser and text messaging. For your Droid you can download a parental app to restrict access to certain apps! Cell phones are almost a necessity in today’s world of technology and parents needs to keep up to date with the newest parental apps!

Parents have to do their homework on technology but once you keep on top of it and talk with other parents you can establish a safe technology environment for your child to enjoy the internet, cell phones, cameras, gaming gadgets, and whatever knew technology device may be on their Christmas list!  Using our safety rules we can still experience the world of technology in a healthy fashion!