Help Protect Your Kids Online with CyberSafeFutures.org

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I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation. #Ad #IC #CyberSafe

Are you old enough to remember life before the internet?  I certainly do, but I know for some people it seems like the online world has seamlessly integrated into our lives so that it is hard to imagine not using the computer for the myriad of things we do. Even I have days when I go to bed realizing I spent way more time on social media and other sites than doing things in my own home. My boys are not immune and if I’m wrapped up with work online they are liable to be drawn in as well. Learning how to protect your kids online is something important to me as I can’t always be watching them.

 

Although my younger boys are prone to spend their computer time on silly things like watching a cat video or how to play a favorite video game, my teens are at the point of using social media more. While I am ‘connected’ with them on the different channels, I can not see everything they see especially on the pages of friends who I am not privy to see.

Boy and Girls Club of America (BGCA) takes safety seriously, including on the internet.  With thousands of members across the United States ,Boys and Girls Clubs have welcomed technology into their sites while putting procedures in place to ensure safe usage of the internet. 

Over the past year and a half, my 11 year old son has enjoyed going to our local Boys and Girls Club after school several days a week as well as during the summer to hang out with friends. As a parent, I am assured not only that the physical environment is safe but that any technology on the premises will be highly filtered and monitored.  

June is Internet Safety Awareness month and the Boys and Girls Club of America is partnering with other companies like Sprint for the third annual Cyber Safe Futures campaign.

Parents can submit their top questions about cyberbullying, social networking, online privacy, mobile smarts and other cyber-related issues. BGCA’s Cyber Safety Ambassadors, a panel of Boys & Girls Club teens from around the world, will answer parents’ questions from a teens’ perspective on CyberSafeFutures.org. Their answers will educate parents and other mentors to help avoid risky situations for their kids and teens online.

Parents need to stay up to speed as best they can to better ensure their child is safe from the negative intrusions the internet can provide. The CyberSafeFutures site allows you to do just that.  Take a few minutes to check it out and submit your own questions for the BGCA Cyber Safety Ambassadors to answer. Even as someone who spends a lot of time online with social media channels, I learned about a few new social networking sites that are popular with the teens.

 

What steps are you taking to keep the kids safe when they get online?

Have you discussed key issues regarding internet safety with your kids, especially the teens?