Internet Safety

It has come to my attention recently that a lot of my children's friends have Facebook pages. My children only being 10 and 7 this really alarms me. What alarms me even more is the things I've been reading on some of these children's pages. And mind you I am not their friends on Facebook, but I can see all of this stuff. If I can see this stuff some other person up to no good can see this stuff too. Just not very safe. And now of course my children are like I want Facebook. And I'm all no way. Facebook is not appropriate for my 10 and 7 year old. There is no reason they need it. They can barely type. Kaitlyn can barely read. I hardly let them on the computer. And aside from all of this Facebook rules state no one under the age of 13.

So anyways, this has all been weighing on my pretty heavy. How do I get these parents to see what they are exposing their children to? Then I thought, hey, I'm the PTA president. The PTA should host an internet safety night. Not entirely sure how to go about doing this yet. I will figure it out though. I will talk to the principal about it too. Never really thought I'd have to be talking to my children and their friend's parents about internet safety at this age, but hey if this is a way to get them thinking twice then we should do it.

Now, I'm not sure that these particular parents who I know are exposing their children to this danger will come. And I of course cannot make them come. I hope all parents will take this seriously. We talk to our children about stranger danger, but they think that person they are talking to on the internet is their friend. They don't know what they could be getting themselves involved with or that the other person on the other end of that computer who is saying they too are 10 years old is some 50 year old sicko preying on little children. And the only way they are going to be saved from this is if parents are watching what their children are doing on the internet. A 10 year old girl should not have a Facebook page with info on it to the public that says she's single, looking for friendship, and interested in men. It's just not appropriate. A 10 year old girl's wall should not be visible to all of the public and on it you can see at one time her "relationship status" was in a relationship with lines of comments on it from other children asking about her relationship and talking about kissing a boy. This is not what 10 year old girls need to be thinking about. This is not what my 10 year old girl thinks about. She doesn't want to kiss a boy. And that makes me happy. She thinks it's gross and boys are gross. I know she won't always feel that way, but at 10 this is a very age appropriate way for her to feel. And that's what I'm all about. Age appropriate behavior.

So Monday, the kids are back to school and I plan on meeting with the principal to talk to him about this. After all, this is part of what the PTA is there for to help the parents. Hopefully the parents that I know are allowing their children on Facebook will come. If they don't come then hopefully a good friend of there's comes and gives them the information. Hopefully this will help save a child.