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When we were young teenagers, if we wanted to flirt with someone, we would put a note in their locker or have a friend pass on a message. Today’s teens send sexually graphic text messages called sexts. Far from a fringe behavior, 39% of all teens say they have sent or posted a sexually suggestive message, and over 20% have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves.
More than 70% of colleges now look at the Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube accounts of applicants to judge the quality of the student. When grading job applicants, 40% of Fortune 500 companies now scour social media sites.
It is hard for your teen to think four to eight years down the road to how his present online actions can affect his future. He doesn’t have the life experience yet to fully grasp the public forum the internet and social media create. Part of your job is to be a buffer for him—to help him see his online self from an outsider’s perspective. Have him ask the following questions before posting anything online:
Does this compromise my faith or moral standard?
Do I want this to always be associated with me?
Am I writing this just because I’m angry or hurt?
Would I want my future family to see this?
I’ll never have a six pack in my thumbs, nor will I ever equal the amount of time my children are connected to technology. But with the time we do have together as a family, I can model for them how to use technology responsibly and set reasonable expectations for their own technology in order to help them build a strong digital reputation for tomorrow.