Teenagers and social media: 7 tips for proper use

Useful tips for parents from social media expert, Thomas Dodson!

After two recent sexting incidents at a high school in Colorado, USA, the school itself decided to hold an event to help parents.

The event, led by social mediaThomas Dodson, addressed sexting, cyberbullying, social media monitoring, and what it's like to be a parent of teenagers in today's digital world.

Dodson helped parents understand what online life is really like for young people. During the event, he gave the following advice:

1. Smartphones allow for interaction and engagement with the world, and parents need to be proactive. Giving them to children doesn't mean they'll handle them like adults. You need to have a conversation with them first.
2. Give yourself permission to see smartphones, messages, and other information. This is not a personal diary, but a gateway to a world that requires supervision.
3. Approach the issue and continue to speak to your children with a digital empathy that offers love and support.
4. Understand that text conversations with your children are the same as face-to-face conversations. That's why words on a screen have the same power as those in person.
5. Make sure they understand your expectations for their online behavior by setting rules and boundaries.
6. Help them understand their digital footprint. Their Internet activity history is permanent and could have implications now or in the future.
7. Spend your time learning about new apps and digital trends that could influence your children