Facebook Safety

The teens of today's society are growing up in a far different world than we did - the digital world. While it has its advantages, it comes with its share of problems, as well.

Facebook safety (and Internet safety in general) is an important topic in many homes. Kids are facing problems we never would have imagined twenty years ago.

Thankfully, companies like Facebook acknowledge this and are trying to do something to help.

Recently, Facebook released its Facebook Guide for Educators and Community Leaders, which is aimed at helping teachers and youth leaders to educate teens about social media and the Internet as a whole.

The guide is not a simple "how to use Facebook" manual. Instead, it offers practical tips and advice on how to protect the children in your care, and how to teach them to protect themselves.

Here are a few topics that it covers:

Reporting abuse
Bullying intervention and prevention
Privacy controls
Developing standards and guidelines
And more...

At only 13 pages long, this is not an exhaustive guide on the subject, but it is a good place to start. Parishes, dioceses, and youth groups can use this as the first step in the process.

It can be a useful tool for parents, too. It might be geared towards educators and youth leaders, but the same concepts can apply in the home. It is rigidly structured, but that might be exactly what you need.

Facebook and other social media outlets offer new opportunities for our youth to interact, and with a few simple rules, parents can ensure that those opportunities are safe opportunities.

Facebook Guide for Educators and Community Leaders is a free resource available online that can be downloaded here. For more information, go to the Facebook Safety page.

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