JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Parents at Joint Base San Antonio got the opportunity to
learn more about the potential pitfalls social media poses to children and what
they can do to protect their children during the “Dangers of Social Media”
class Aug. 26 at the Human Performance Resource Center at JBSA-Randolph.
Parents who attended the class learned about the online
social media applications used by children and the potential risks of each of
them and the tools they need to protect their children from online dangers.
Rebekah Sanchez, 802nd Force Support Group Family Life
Program educator at the Military and Family Readiness Center at JBSA-Fort Sam
Houston, said children, particularly those between the ages of 12 to 17, go
online frequently. She said a survey conducted in 2012 found that 95 percent of
children in the 12 to 17 age group were using the Internet.
Sanchez shared a list of 21 social media apps children and
adults have access to, with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram being the
most commonly used.
While each of the apps has different functions, Sanchez said
there are privacy and safety issues with each of them that parents need to be
aware of including: who is following a child on a social media app, who has
access to information posted by the child, what information is the child
putting out there and how much of that information is accessible, and who are
the children talking to online.
On Facebook, Sanchez said personal information can be shared
not only with friends but other users, if the privacy settings on the app are
not set. Also, she said another pitfall
is that an online predator, whether it be an adult male or female, could set up
a fake profile posing as a teenager and friend request an underage child,
trying to lure them into meeting them alone.
“You can come up with any persona you want and friend
request people,” Sanchez said. “No one knows who you are.”
On Instagram, an app in which users post pictures they take,
Sanchez said children could end up being followed by people they do not know,
and that the app has a GPS locator that gives the location where the user is
posting from. Children who post photos could be giving the location of where
they live or go to school.
Sanchez warned parents that children could be exposed to
sexual or mature content on Instagram, depending on what they search for on the
app. On another app, Tumblr, she said children can be exposed to content that
promotes unhealthy, self-destructive behaviors, including children who cut
themselves.
On Instagram and Yik-Yak, an app that allows the user to
post a message up to 200 characters, and Whisper, an app that allows the user
to post confessions anonymously in form of words superimposed on a picture,
Sanchez said children could be subjected to bullying or personal attacks.
Sanchez said there are several measures parents can take to
protect their children from social media pitfalls:
• Learning about social media, including the apps that are
used by children
• Knowing about the social media apps that are being used by
your child
• Adjusting the privacy settings on apps
• Using online settings that allow children to download only
age appropriate apps
• Talking to children about online safety
• Discussing with children about how they should respond
when they see inappropriate behavior on social media
• Talking to children about how social media can affect
their future. Sanchez said a survey
conducted three years ago found that 27 percent of college admission officers
said they did a Google search of all their applicants and of those online
searches 35 percent came back with negative information on the applicant,
impacting whether or not the applicant was admitted to college.
• Warning of potential online scams
• Setting time limits and boundaries on social media use.
Parents should check both computers and smart phones to see
what social media apps their children are using and how they are using them,
Sanchez said. A survey conducted in 2012 discovered that 50 percent of
teenagers who owned a smart phone used it to access the Internet.
“If we are not aware of what’s on our kids’ cell phones, we
are missing the mark,” Sanchez said. “If we are just looking at browser
histories on Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Earth Pro, we’re not going to
know where they are going.”
Fara Smith, a parent of a four-year-old, said she was able
to learn more about the social media apps that are online.
“I knew only eight of the 21 apps that are most commonly
used,” Smith said. “I have a lot of catching up to do. It scared me straight.
I’m going to stay informed and stay up to date with the latest apps because
they change so often.”
Parents who want to learn about the dangers that come when
children are on social media and how to protect them can contact Sanchez at
221-0349.