Blogs
Risky Behavior
Some blogs track the number of visitors and have places for their audiences to comment or rate them. As a result, children may engage in risky behavior, such as posting intimate details, in order to gain popularity on the Internet. Other risky behavior includes not using privacy settings, or posting inappropriate or illegal content.
These risky behaviors leave children open to being targeted by predators and cyberbullies. For example, a child’s peers may take information shared in a blog and use it to humiliate him at school. Likewise, a child sharing inappropriate content in a blog may find herself suspended from school or losing out on future educational opportunities. They might also find themselves approached by someone who intends them harm.
Children and teens using blogs should not share things such as hometown, last name, school, phone numbers, names of friends and family, birth dates or post pictures that reveal these things. Even if the blog settings are private, people intending them harm can still access them.
Tips For Safe Blogging
Does your child have a blog? Use the blogging rule of thumb! Never post anything in a blog that you would not want to share with everyone you know.
Discussion Starters
Some blogs track the number of visitors and have places for their audiences to comment or rate them. As a result, children may engage in risky behavior, such as posting intimate details, in order to gain popularity on the Internet. Other risky behavior includes not using privacy settings, or posting inappropriate or illegal content.
These risky behaviors leave children open to being targeted by predators and cyberbullies. For example, a child’s peers may take information shared in a blog and use it to humiliate him at school. Likewise, a child sharing inappropriate content in a blog may find herself suspended from school or losing out on future educational opportunities. They might also find themselves approached by someone who intends them harm.
Children and teens using blogs should not share things such as hometown, last name, school, phone numbers, names of friends and family, birth dates or post pictures that reveal these things. Even if the blog settings are private, people intending them harm can still access them.
Tips For Safe Blogging
Does your child have a blog? Use the blogging rule of thumb! Never post anything in a blog that you would not want to share with everyone you know.
- Establish guidelines with your child before allowing him or her to blog, such as reviewing your child’s blogs before posting.
- Ensure that your child is using privacy settings.
- Have your child remove any identifying information from all postings: full names, ages, locations, phone numbers and school names.
- Encourage your child to think of creative names that describe people in their life as opposed to using real names. For example Salad Girl for the girl who always eats salad, or Golden Boy for the boy who has blonde hair or excels at everything. They could also use letters like S for Sarah. It protects everyone involved while still communicating with people who know the friends mentioned.
- Caution your child about the dangers of posting inappropriate or provocative information or images. Once something is posted online, it cannot be taken back.
- Encourage your child to come to you if anything on the blog site makes him or her feel uncomfortable.
Discussion Starters
- Do you keep a blog? Could I read it?
- Who do you think is reading your blog?
- Would you feel comfortable letting anyone read your blog?
- Is your blog set to private? Why or why not?
- What do you think your blog says about you?
- Can you show me some of your favorite blogs?