User Post: Pioneers in a New Online World

Jennifer Wagner

Parents of today's teenagers are pioneers in dealing with the new world of online and digital safety. Online social media, networking and mobile devices with texting and digital cameras are all less than a decade old. Best practices, guidelines and advice on digital privacy are yet to be fully formulated and we are still walking through minefields.

Insafe, a European network of Awareness Centres promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to young people, has organized Safer Internet Day. To be held this year on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 in over 65 countries of the world, its topic this year is "our virtual lives" with the slogan "it's more than a game, it's your life".

Although Safer Internet Day is a nice reminder of the importance of Internet safety, it is something that parents must be continuously vigilant about. Yahoo! has a newly redesigned Safety site, Yahoo! Safely, which is taking part in Safer Internet Day 2011. You can find more information about the event and how to participate as well as tips on online safety on the site's Safety Tips page.

Other pages on Yahoo! Safely are:

  • Expert Advice - Find people, websites and articles with advice

  • Yahoo! Products - Safety Guides for using each of Yahoo's products such as Flickr, Yahoo! Answers and Yahoo! Groups to name a few.

  • Parents - Learn how to help your children stay safer in the digital world.

  • Teens - Discover how to navigate the web safely.

  • FAQ about online safety.

Since my sons are on the older side, I never had to deal with many of the issues that parents of tweens and younger teens do. My biggest worry has been about their Facebook page's not being properly viewable for potential employers. Whether children, teens or adults, online safety applies to everyone.

We are living in a rapidly changing digital world now and in some way, today's teens and their parents are explorers, mapping out the way for the next generation. Like guinea pigs, hopefully others will learn from our mistakes.

Jennifer Wagner blogs at Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology and My Recommended Websites.

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