The Influence of Social Media On Youth

Living in the age of social media, status updates, and automatic news feeds means the information highway has become influential, regardless of age demographics. The American Academy of Pediatrics released data correlating to youth and social media stating: 22% of teens log onto these sites more than 10 times per day, 75% have access via mobile device, and the prolific use of social media has increased the risk of cyber bullying and depression among teens.

      Social media, while potentially dangerous to the naive, has positively increased communication, provided abundant access to information, and has allowed younger users to easily use their own creativity to construct their online profiles. In 2005, Facebook originated as a university based site and allowed access only to users with an “.edu” address. Today, Facebook is internationally accessible to users over the age of 13. The American Academy of Pediatrics developed 13 tips for parents regarding online danger prevention and educating young social media consumers:

1. No underage activity. No child under 13 should have access to social media sites
2. Parents should check computer privacy settings, limiting access once a child is old enough to navigate on their own.
3. Use filter software to monitor which sites children visit.
4. Set ground rules before a social media profile is created
5. Know your child’s interests. Their likes will become their top searches.
6. Keep the computer in a central location to monitor usage and content.
7. Monitor pictures. Once a picture is posted, the image can never be destroyed.
8. Parents should set a good example, displaying appropriate profiles of their own.  Limiting cell phone use will help to limit access to social networks
9. Teach children about online reputations. 
10.  Parents need to understand technology & their children’s level of knowledge.
11.  Discuss online dangers, predators, and scams.
12. Urge children to stay away from giveaways, contests and questionnaires that request personal information.

Technology use is a societal norm. In less than a decade, the age of social media users has decreased by five years of age. While children are developing socially, emotionally, and mentally, technology serves as a central place for information communication. If boundaries are not set and online activity is not monitored closely by parents, the fallout of posting inappropriate comments or pictures by naïve children may come back to haunt them in unexpected ways.

A Must Read for Anyone Hiring Child Care Online

Just how reliable are online background checks? Not Very.

We have told our children time and again, not to talk to strangers on the internet. So why is it that so many parents are meeting strangers on the internet, and leaving their children in the care of these strangers?

In light of recent events, the online background checks run through many online websites, such as sittercity.com, are coming under fire and rightfully so. What are these recent events? A 19-year old man is in police custody on suspicion of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 years. The boy is eight to be exact, and Jordan Liu had been caring for him for the past eight months. Detectives have also been investigating allegations that Liu sexually assaulted the victim’s three year old brother. The parents found Liu on sittercity.com, a site that completes “background checks” on member caregivers. Liu also had a care.com account. And why are online background checks coming under fire? Online background checks are database searches.  They may not show any misdemeanors the candidate has on record. And they offer no further personal screening. Parents who haven’t been trained or experienced in interviewing and reference checking may end up with a false sense of security about the extent of their knowledge about a caregiver found on a website.

Every candidate presented to families by The Philadelphia Nanny Network has gone through in-house screening, in-depth interviewing and extensive reference checking; and no third parties are used. They have also been cleared by a private security firm that conducts a criminal check, a driving check, a credit check and social security number verification. They have been checked against the US Justice Department Sex Offender Registry. And finally, PA residents have passed a PA Child Abuse Clearance.

We do recognize that families use many different resources to find nannies, sitters and other domestic employees, but we cannot express enough how important it is to rigorously check the backgrounds of these individuals. If you are employing on your own, we urge you to use our expertise! Call us for a Candidate Check Package or a Basic Security Check. Please remember you cannot always trust individuals you meet on the internet. For more information on why this is so important, please read the full article here; and please read the developing story of the string of Craig’s List murders spree that has taken place in Ohio here.