Sexting - Protect Your Teens

Do you know what your teenagers are accessing on their phones? Did you know that 22% of teenage girls and 18% of teenage boys have taken nude or semi-nude photos of themselves? That 33% of teenage boys report seeing such photos?Are you aware that 39% of teens have sent naughty texts as a means of flirting? As texting, camera phones, and internet-based phones ("smart phones") increase in use both new dangers and benefits must be acknowledged and dealt with. http://www.ilivevalues.com/ provides a helpful resource titled "Sex and Cell Phones: Protect Your Teens." Here are some excerpts and benefits of this resource:

• "79% of all teens (17 million) have a mobile device"
• "We believe every child and grandchild you know and love will be impacted, directly or indirectly, by sexually explicit content delivered over the Internet by computers and wireless technologies. "
• "90% of young people’s first exposure to pornography on the Internet is unintentional; the second exposure rarely is."
• "each child will have peers accessing pornographic Internet content through a wireless device "
• This resource contains a chart that shows how parents can protect their children through controls & features of some national cell phone networks

Statistics from http://www.nationalcoalition.org/

• "A survey of 600 households conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found that 20% of parents do not know any of their children’s Internet passwords, instant messaging nicknames or email addresses"
• "The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years oldInternet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004"
• "The largest consumer of Internet pornography is the 12-17 age groupInternet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004"
• "Only 5% of parents recognized the acronym POS (parent over shoulder) and only 1% could identify WTGP (want to go private?), both of which are used frequently by teens when instant messagingAds target online victimization of children. USA Today, 20 May 2004. "

Additional resources available below:

• National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families (http://www.nationalcoalition.org/ )
• Become educated about the new technology and its capabilities through the iCare website at http://www.icarecoalition.org/
• Text Messaging Language Chart

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms." C.S. Lewis

Parenting and Media

Have you ever wondered how our media-saturated society will impact children and youth over the long run? How should we react and help protect our children while equipping them to make wise decisions in the midst of an increasingly depraved world? Dr. Al Mohler has shared a helpful article on http://www.crosswalk.com/ titled "A Generation Immersed in Media." Check out the below excerpts:

• "A new report indicates that the average child in America now spends 45 hours a week immersed in the media -- a multiple of the hours spent with parents or in the classroom."
• "80% agree that heavy media exposure increases the risk of harm, including obesity, smoking, sex, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades."
• "Today's children, equipped with iPods, cell phones, laptops, and portable video players, are seldom more than a few feet (if not inches) separated from media technologies."
• "we must be concerned with the effects of media exposure on the soul"

Here are some highlights from Dr. Mohler's suggestions for parents of today's generation:

1. "Limit the total media exposure experienced by your children"
2. "Do not allow children and teenagers to have televisions and Internet-connected computers in the bedroom"
3. "Make entertainment media a family experience."
4. "Parents have to do the hard work of actually knowing what their children and teenagers are watching, playing, hearing, and experiencing through media exposure."
5. "Realize that a revolution has taken place in the lives of children and adolescents. "
6. "Take a regular look at what your child is posting and what others are posting on his or her social media sites."
7. "Remember that saying "no" is a legitimate option. "