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Top 5 Tips for Parents:
Help Your Teen Translate the Digital & Pop Culture World |
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1. Know your own beliefs regarding pop culture so you can set guidelines for your teen. |
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2. Get educated. Find out what music, Web sites and other media interest your teen. These will change, so ask often. |
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3. Learn how to analyze media messages, so you can help your teen translate them. |
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4. Engage in media use with your teen and get comfortable with new technologies, especially if your child is using them. Use these opportunities to talk about what is credible and why. |
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5. Encourage teens to think critically about what they hear, see and read. |
The digital world is all around us. Many parents remember buying tapes, not CDs, and computers as big as a desk. Today, most teens buy music online and can’t imagine life without a laptop. It’s no secret that teenagers are trailblazers when it comes to technology. Whether it’s digital music and movies, iPods, cell phones or gaming devices, technology is firmly planted in teen culture. Not surprisingly, the corporate world has caught on. Blockbuster marketing campaigns are designed with only teens in mind. They are bombarded daily with messages to get the latest gadget.
But no matter how savvy they seem, teens need help in decoding the world around them. With the click of a mouse, teens can easily enter a world of danger. Fifty-five percent of Internet users say they have seen an online ad promoting a pro-drug and/or prescription drug Web site1. On social networking sites teens can learn about drugs and other risky behaviors through blogs, chat rooms, and message boards.
One-third (33%) of 13-17 year olds and nearly half (48%) of 16-17 year olds report that their parents or guardians know “very little” or “nothing” about what they do on the Internet2. So what are parents to do?
You can help your child think critically about the digital world. With your child’s age and maturity level in mind, try these:
- With your teen, check out her personal Web page. Read the profile and study pictures, videos, and blog entries as if you were a stranger. Talk to your teen about how she might be perceived. Remind her that the online world is a public space and her teachers, college admissions officials, potential employers, and complete strangers have access to her page.
- Cell phones can facilitate some risky behaviors. Ask to review your teen’s contact list and make sure you know everyone listed. If you don’t know how, call your cell phone service provider for help. Talk to your teen about sending and receiving text messages from strangers. Ask him to delete random messages upon receipt.
- Establish clear rules about what your kids can watch online and what they can download. Embrace their growing interest in music and creativity, but establish clear boundaries about what you find acceptable and appropriate.
For more information about decoding the digital world, visit these sites:
Go to “Discerning What is Credible” >>
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