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Social

Networking Sites:

A Parent’s Guide

R emember that phrase from your own childhood? It’s still a valid question, but now, it comes with a twist: “Do you know where your kids are — and who 

they’re chatting with online?”

Social networking sites have morphed into a mainstream medium for teens and adults. 

These sites encourage and enable people to exchange information about themselves, share 

pictures and videos, and use blogs and private messaging to communicate with friends, others 

who share interests, and sometimes even the world-at-large. And that’s why it’s important to 

be aware of the possible pitfalls that come with networking online.

Some social networking sites attract pre-teens — even kids as young as 5 or 6. These 

younger-focused sites don’t allow the same kinds of communication that teens and adults 

have, but there are still things that parents can do to help young kids socialize safely online. 

In fact, when it comes to young kids, the law provides some protections — and gives parents 

some control over the type of information that children can disclose online. For sites directed 

to children under age 13, and for general audience sites that know they’re dealing with kids 

younger than 13, there’s the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It requires 

these sites to get parental consent before they collect, maintain, or use kids’ information. 

COPPA also allows parents to review their child’s online profiles and blog pages.

“It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”

9OURTEENS

INFORMATIONHERE
Facts for Consumers 

Parents sometimes can feel outpaced by their 

technologically savvy kids. Technology aside, 

there are lessons that parents can teach to help 

kids stay safer as they socialize online.

Help Kids Socialize Safely Online

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s 

consumer protection agency, urges parents to talk 

to their tweens and teens about social networking 

sites, and offers these tips for using these sites 

safely: 

• Help your kids understand what 

information should be private. Tell them 

why it’s important to keep some things 

— about themselves, family members and 

friends — to themselves. Information like 

their full name, Social Security number, 

street address, phone number, and family 

financial information — like bank or credit 

card account numbers — is private and 

should stay that way. Tell them not to choose 

a screen name that gives away too much 

personal information. 

• Use privacy settings to restrict who can 

access and post on your child’s website.

Some social networking sites have strong 

privacy settings. Show your child how to 

use these settings to limit who can view their 

online profile, and explain to them why this 

is important.

• Explain that kids should post only 

information that you — and they — are 

comfortable with others seeing. Even if 

privacy settings are turned on, some — or 

even all — of your child’s profile may be 

seen by a broader audience than you’re 

comfortable with. Encourage your child to 

think about the language used in a blog, and 

to think before posting pictures and videos. 

Employers, college admissions officers, team 

coaches, and teachers may view your child’s 

postings. Even a kid’s screen name could 

make a difference. Encourage teens to think 

about the impression that screen names could 

make.

• Remind your kids that once they post 

information online, they can’t take it back. 

Even if they delete the information from 

a site, older versions may exist on other 

people’s computers and be circulated online.

• Know how your kids are getting online. 

More and more, kids are accessing the 

Internet through their cell phones. Find out 

about what limits you can place on your 

child’s cell phone. Some cellular companies 

have plans that limit downloads, Internet 

access, and texting; other plans allow kids 

to use those features only at certain times of 

day. 

• Talk to your kids about bullying. Online 

bullying can take many forms, from 

spreading rumors online and posting or 

forwarding private messages without 

the sender’s OK, to sending threatening 

messages. Tell your kids that the words 

they type and the images they post can have 

real-world consequences. They can make 

the target of the bullying feel bad, make 

the sender look bad — and, sometimes, can 

bring on punishment from the authorities. 

Encourage your kids to talk to you if they 

feel targeted by a bully. 

• Talk to your kids about avoiding sex talk 

online. Recent research shows that teens who 

don’t talk about sex with strangers online are 

less likely to come in contact with a predator.

If you’re concerned that your child is 

engaging in risky online behavior, you can 

search the blog sites they visit to see what 

information they’re posting. Try searching 

by their name, nickname, school, hobbies, 

grade, or area where you live.
Facts for Consumers

• Tell your kids to trust their gut if they 

have suspicions. If they feel threatened 

by someone or uncomfortable because of 

something online, encourage them to tell 

you. You can then help them report concerns 

to the police and to the social networking 

site. Most sites have links where users can 

immediately report abusive, suspicious, or 

inappropriate online behavior.

• Read sites’ privacy policies. Spend some 

time with a site’s privacy policy, FAQs, and 

parent sections to understand its features and 

privacy controls. The site should spell out 

your rights as a parent to review and delete 

your child’s profile if your child is younger 

than 13. 

A Few More Tips to Protect Pre-Teens

Many of the tips above apply for pre-teens, but 

parents of younger children also can:

• Take extra steps to protect younger kids. 

Keep the computer in an open area like the 

kitchen or family room, so you can keep an 

eye on what your kids are doing online. Use 

the Internet with them to help develop safe 

surfing habits. Consider taking advantage of 

parental control features on some operating 

systems that let you manage your kids’ 

computer use, including what sites they can 

visit, whether they can download items, or 

what time of day they can be online.

• Go where your kids go online. Sign up for 

— and use — the social networking spaces 

that your kids visit. Let them know that 

you’re there, and help teach them how to act 

as they socialize online. 

• Review your child’s friends list. You may 

want to limit your child’s online “friends” 

to people your child actually knows and is 

friendly with in real life. 

• Understand sites’ privacy policies. Sites 

should spell out your rights as a parent to 

review and delete your child’s profile if your 

child is younger than 13. 

What to do if there’s a problem

Encourage your kids to tell you if they feel 

threatened by someone or uncomfortable because 

of something online. Then report it right away to 

the police and the social networking site.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act 

(COPPA) requires websites to obtain parental 

consent before collecting, using, or disclosing 

personal information from children under age 13. 

If a website is violating COPPA, report it to the 

Federal Trade Commission. 

For More Information

To learn more about staying safe online, visit the 

websites of the following organizations:

Federal Trade Commission

www.onguardonline.gov

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent 

fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business 

practices in the marketplace and to provide 

information to help consumers spot, stop, and 

avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free 

information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov 

or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP 

(1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. 

The FTC manages OnGuardOnline.gov, 

which provides practical tips from the federal 

government and the technology industry to help 

you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure 

your computer, and protect your personal 

information. 
Facts for Consumers

1-877-FTC-HELP FOR THE CONSUMER

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ftc.gov

September 2007

Federal Trade Commission

Bureau of Consumer Protection

Division of Consumer and Business Education

ConnectSafely

www.connectsafely.org

ConnectSafely is a forum for parents, teens, 

educators, and advocates designed to give teens 

and parents a voice in the public discussion 

about youth online safety, and has tips, as well 

as other resources, for safe blogging and social 

networking. Along with NetFamilyNews.org, it is 

a project of the non-profit Tech Parenting Group.

Cyberbully411 

www.cyberbully411.org

Cyberbully411 provides resources and 

opportunities for discussion and sharing for youth 

— and their parents — who have questions about 

or may have been targeted by online harassment. 

The website was created by the non-profit Internet 

Solutions for Kids, Inc., with funding from the 

Community Technology Foundation of California.

GetNetWise 

www.getnetwise.org

GetNetWise is a public service sponsored by 

Internet industry corporations and public interest 

organizations to help ensure that Internet users 

have safe, constructive, and educational or 

entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise 

coalition works to provide Internet users with the 

resources they need to make informed decisions 

about their and their family’s use of the Internet.

Internet Keep Safe Coalition

www.iKeepSafe.org

iKeepSafe.org is a coalition of 49 governors/first 

spouses, law enforcement, the American Medical 

Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, 

and other associations dedicated to helping 

parents, educators, and caregivers by providing 

tools and guidelines to promote safe Internet and 

technology use among children. 

National Center for Missing and Exploited 

Children

www.missingkids.com; www.netsmartz.org

NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization 

that helps prevent child abduction and sexual 

exploitation; helps find missing children; and 

assists victims of child abduction and sexual 

exploitation, their families, and the professionals 

who serve them.

Staysafe 

www.staysafe.org

Staysafe.org is an educational site intended to help 

consumers understand both the positive aspects of 

the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of 

safety and security issues that exist online.

Wired Safety

www.wiredsafety.org

WiredSafety.org is an Internet safety and help 

group. WiredSafety.org provides education, 

assistance, and awareness on cybercrime and 

abuse, privacy, security, and responsible 

technology use. It is also the parent group of 

Teenangels.org, FBI-trained teens and preteens 

who promote Internet safety.