Teen Checkup | Internet Safety

Sick of your Teen’s Friends?

It’s just a fact of life. You’re just not going to care for all of your teen’s friends. Teens can be annoying, arrogant, impolite, mean. In short, teens are people too, and they have all the good and bad qualities that your own friends possess. However, this problem sometimes goes beyond merely “not liking” some of your teen’s pals. Sometimes, the your teen can be hanging out with peers that are nothing but a bad influence.

What if your teen is hanging out with a crowd that is encouraging less-than-stellar school work, or worse? It can be tricky to solve these kinds of issues. We all know that teens are likely to resist any pressure, especially where their social circles are concerned, and the last thing you want to do is give them one more reason to make bad choices where their friends are concerned.

I’ve been checking in on some of our friend’s posts for advice. Here are a few tips from On Teens Today:

1) Don’t Overreact

If your kids friend does something awful, do not overreact! It’s the same principle as your teen blurting out that they are thinking of going braless to the dance this Friday.  The bigger deal you make it, the more attractive it (and that person becomes).

2) Underreact

Not only do I advise you to not overreact, but actually underreact.  We usually know when you are going to disapprove or someone, something or something that someone does.  If you underreact, they will let their guard down and usually tell you more because they feel that you being calm and open.

3) Give it Time

Friends can come in and out like trends.  If you do not like one of your child’s friends, just give it some time, they might leave your kid’s life on their own.  And if they really are a bad seed, your great kid might be able to find out for themselves.

Check out the site for a bunch of great tips.

This post was written by: Joe Nolan

Tags: Friends, teens, Teens Today

5 Facebook Groups That’ll Make You Laugh

Okay, I’ll admit it. I LOVE Facebook. It is the place to connect with friends - new and old - share pictures, trade “pokes”, and play games. During my many hours of mindless Facebook surfing, I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the groups on the site. I mean some of them are really funny - and so totally true!

I did a little digging and found some of the more popular groups on Facebook today. Some you’ll know - some you won’t. Either way the titles themselves will make you laugh.

1. People Who Always Have To Spell Their Names For Other People- This group is for anyone with an unusual spelling or an unusual name.
2. I Use my Cell Phone to See in the Dark- For those that can’t live without their cell phones - whether it’s to schedule appointments, see in the dark, use as an excuse to leave a conversation to “take an important call”, figure out the waiter’s tip, keep as a clock, take pictures, or simply to use as a device to converse with others - as it was originally designed to do.
3. Unlike 99.99% of the Facebook population, I was born in the 70s. - The group for the “oldies” not your grandpa’s age but who are in 30s.
4. I flip my pillow over so I can feel the cold side when I’m sleeping- If you ever turn your pillow over at night to feel the nice cold side on your face then you’re in the right place.
5. When I Drive, I Dont Pay Attention To The Road, I Look For Cops- If you can spot headlights from a half a mile away at night, and know that it is a cop, you belong in this group.

And my personal favorite:

I partied in Isla Vista during the early to mid-90s  - Only UCSB students and alums will know what this one’s about, myself included.

What are some of your favorite Facebook groups?

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: Facebook, Friends, popular groups

The Social Networking Addiction

How many times a day do you check your profile page on Myspace or Facebook?

Kids and parents alike can spend endless hours acquiring as many friends as they can, posting bulletins for all their friends to read, “poking” people, and updating their profile to showcase pictures of last week’s party. But when does casual use turn into addiction? The answer may surprise you.

Interestingly enough, experts say people who check their pages 7-10 times a day have a problem that borders on addiction. The same goes for people who can’t be near a computer without checking their page for messages.

It’s easy to get hooked on social networking sites because it can be fun to escape reality. You can be whoever you want to be on the Internet and it can feel nice to be accepted and wanted.
It’s also much less intimidating to talk to someone behind a computer screen. But you need to know when to cut off your activity.

Addiction is an intense problem. The consequences of a student skipping homework, or an adult ignoring work, to hangout on Facebook can be quite serious.

So, the next time you’re inclined to spend all day customizing your profile or taking personality quizzes, why not promote activity by going on a hike or watching a movie with friends?

It just may save you from attending a “Facebook Addiction” support group down the road.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: Addiction, Facebook, Friends, Myspace

When Worms Attack

Teenagers are being victimized by a senseless cyber crime: worm attacks.

These worms get into profiles of unsuspecting users and tap into their information, silently firing off malicious spam messages to the user’s friends. The technique is also known as “social engineering.” The spam message will usually mislead the recipient, claiming to feature a web video or blog post. It’ll encourage them to follow the link, which leads them to a rogue web page, exposing them to viruses and worms.

Myspace and Facebook now have over 100 million users each, and hold a wealth of sensitive information that can be threatened by these attacks. Everyday hundreds, if not thousands of people, are victimized by these attacks.

My daughter was one of them.

She opened her inbox one Saturday morning and found a message from one of her friends leading her to a site which, she claimed, contained an inappropriate web video of her. Now, my daughter is only 8-years-old. There was no way she was involved in a sexually explicit video. No way! My daughter, being the tech-savvy girl she is, knew right away it was a scam. Yet, curiosity still got the best of her and she tried to open the rogue site. Fortunately our computer was spared from the worm attack… but others haven’t been so lucky.

Facebook has now added a new security feature to deter spam posts. It will display a warning when a user posts a potentially harmful web address. It will also scan all suspected links for attacks.

Please let this news alert and my daughter’s experience be a learning lesson. Always be on guard when surfing the ‘net. More importantly, always keep your password safe!

I’ll get off my soap box now.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: Facebook, Friends, Myspace, Spam, Teenagers, Virus, Worm