You Can #ShareAwesome and Still Stay Safe Online #CG

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Cody with iPhone

We live in a time where news is instantaneous. Oftentimes even before the news outlets share it. I’ve seen many times how someone right in the middle of a news-making story snaps pictures on their smartphones and tweets it out or shares on Facebook or Instagram and it spreads like wild fire and becomes viral.  

As a woman who loves technology and social media and uses it daily in my work and leisure time, I’ve also learned that there can be a price to pay.

There are so many wonderful things about social media, but there are some bad people out there that abuse it.   We gave our son a tablet last Christmas that he primarily used for playing games… but we still had several conversations with him about Internet safety and privacy.

A couple of months ago we bought him an iPhone as well as he got another iPad for school – his textbooks are on it, plus he uses it for most all of his schoolwork.   He also now Face Times and texts with a couple of his classmates.   So, we had another talk with him about the importance of privacy and what is and is not safe to share.  

There are a lot of moments in our lives that are AWEsome. Really great things and we do want to share awesome! I know I do it all the time, but you really do have to be careful how much you share.  

Just like how I shared my son’s recent report card on Instagram. As I said on Instagram it was a mommy brag moment, but I am so proud of him since this is his first year in middle school at a private school that’s a lot tougher than he’s been used to, and he got all A’s. However, I know I couldn’t just snap the picture of his report and share for everyone to see, because there was information on it that could compromise my son’s safety.

I used a photo editing program and blackened out any information that could let someone know where my son goes to school or his name, even.

Preparing his own lunch

We think our son is awesome. He does so many awesome things every day and we just can’t help but want to share his awesomeness.

We’ve told him that he can share photos or information online as long as there are no personal information included. If he takes a photo at school, he cannot share it if it has the school’s name in the photo. He also can never share a photo of a friend because he has to have permission from their parent’s before he can do so. We just tell him no photos of his friends are to be shared.

We also taught him that he is to never, ever, ever… give out his home address or phone number online.

We also let him know that if he ever sees something that he thinks is strange, makes him nervous or scared, or uncomfortable to immediately let me or his dad know.

I love that the National PTA has partnered with LifeLock to “share awesome” ways families can have an open and honest onversations about positive, safe decisions when using digital tools. It’s a great way to teach our kids to treat others the way they want to be treated, to respect themselves and others, by not posting things that are harmful or mean. And how they can share all those wonderful moments in their lives – everyone benefits when you #ShareAwesome!

The #ShareAwesome contest invites social media users to share a smart and safe decision, uplifting accomplishment, or positive action for the good of others using hashtag #ShareAwesome on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Students who enter a photo between September 15 – November 30, 2014 will be eligible to win fantastic prizes, including tablets and a $2,500 scholarship! Visit ShareAwesomeNow.org to learn more.

“Snap a photo of an awesome moment in your day and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the #ShareAwesome hashtag!

Students who enter the #ShareAwesome contest between September 15 – November 30, 2014 will have a chance to win fantastic prizes, including tablets and a $2,500 scholarship!”

How do you keep your kids safe online and still #ShareAwesome?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

9 Comments

  1. you taught him really well

    they have access to the internet and it is a very dangerous tool

  2. I started using the internet when I was 12. To put it quite mildly, I encountered plenty of crazies! That’s one of the reasons why my son is not allowed to use the internet yet.

  3. This is such an important topic. I do this a lot too where I black or blur something out for safety reasons.

  4. Wow, that’s a fantastic report card. It’s so important to protect our privacry and teach our children to do the same.

  5. The internet is full of bad people. You certainly have taught your son well.

  6. My kids are not active on social media yet but I have already brushed over the basics of online safety. I know many of their friends have online access via tablets and phones, so it is important they know the general “rules” even if they are not the ones on Facebook or Twitter.

  7. It is so important to teach children to be safe online. Also, teach them not post any personal information that someone could use to find them.

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