The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Depression.  Obsession.  Addiction. Are these three adjectives that surround social networking ? Social networking is on the rise, a recently released  study from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found that 22 percent of teenagers log onto their favorite social media sites more than 10 times a day, and that 75 percent own cell phones. This level of engagement online increases the risks of cyberbullying, “ Facebook depression ” (a new phenomenon where “de-friending” and online bullying lead to symptoms of depression), exposure to inappropriate content, and sexting. What can parents do if they suspect their teen or child is heading down a dark road? Looking at Facebook to begin with, is your teen age appropriate?  You have to be at least 13 years-old to be a member. On Facebook's help center it clearly states:  Facebook requires individuals to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account.  Facebook even takes it a step fu...

At first glance you would think this is a misprint, but after applying online to a health food store, a young college grad student was asked to provide his Facebook link as part of the application process.  Before doing this, he did change his photo, and this is not implying his photo was inappropriate, however really wasn't what you want a potential employer to view.  It was a silly photo of him and his friends on a Merry-Go-Round, not exactly a first impression you want a future employer to view or misunderstand. In reality, many employers and college admissions are viewing Facebook pages.  We don't need The Social Network movie that took the number one spot for two weeks in a row, to remind us of how powerful the Internet has become. Just recently, Jessica Bennett , wrote an amazing article for Newsweek - " What The Internet Knows About You ."  If you haven't read it, now would be a good time, and remember to pass it on to your friends and...

Me, me, me! It's all about me!   Yes, Facebook college students and many others love promoting themselves virtually , however when does it cross the line into being narcissistic? A revealing new study out by the researcher, Mehdizadeh, showed a statistically significant correlation between narcissistic students, and the number of times Facebook was checked per day as well as the time spent on Facebook per session. Psych Central , Dr. John Grohol just published an article on the details of this research,  Narcissistic College Students Spend More Time on Facebook . Facebook is currently the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users. More than 50% of Facebook’s active users log on to Facebook in any given day, while the average user has 130 social connections (what Facebook calls “friends”).  Since Facebook has expanded into Fan Groups, Charities and much more, there are more users and more reasons to sign up for Facebook. Having self-est...

Collaboration committed to educating kids, parents and teachers about responsible and safe Internet use Memphis, Tenn. and Palo Alto, Calif. – June 10, 2010 – Today, National PTA and Facebook announced a formal collaboration to promote responsible and safe Internet use to kids, parents and teachers. Together, National PTA and Facebook will establish a comprehensive program that will provide information, support and news to encourage citizenship online, reduce cyberbullying and advance Internet safety and security. The partnership is founded on the belief that awareness is essential to supporting safe and responsible Internet use. Thus, in addition to creating comprehensive and engaging resources, PTA and Facebook are committing to aggressively promoting Internet safety information to their respective audiences. National PTA will use its Website (www.pta.org), and actively reach out to the 24,000 local PTAs across the country with a goal of reaching every American public school. Fa...

Are you as shocked and horrified at the events that happened to 15 year-old Josie Ratley as many of us are? Isn't it time this violence and bullying stopped ? Facebook has become one of the strongest social networking sites to help spread news, assist causes and bring people together with common interests. Recently " Pray for Josie Lou Ratley " group was created. This group has been established to foster coordination, donations and positive actions on behalf of Josie and her Family. Please join them as they band together to right this terrible wrong! Take the time to leave your good wishes, prayers and support. Get Well Cards can be sent to: Broward General Medical Center Patient Josie Lou Ratley 1600 S. Andrews Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 954-355-4400 The Ratley family does not have health insurance to pay for Josie's medical care. You can donate at any Wachovia Bank branch or mail your donations to: Wachovia Bank 2989 PGA Boulevard Palm Be...

In a recent New York Times article, 15 year-old Tess Chapin of Sunnyside, Queens (New York), started a campaign on Facebook to convince her parents to remove her punishment. She was grounded for 5 weeks for missing her curfew by one hour and most importantly, drinking at a party. If you missed the first part, she is only 15 years-old, drinking is illegal for minors. Missing her curfew is blatant disrespect for her parents and their boundaries. Besides the fact that her parent's were probably worried sick, teenage drinking is prohibited, as well as the fact that Tess is very fortunate something worse didn't happen to her (such has someone putting a drug in her drink ). It is commendable that Tess is being diplomatic about her mission, however part of being a responsible parent is considered "parenting" - especially following through with consequences. Will Tess succeed? It seems unlikely. The fact that this brings more awareness to parents being proactive in st...

As today's generation is definitely the surf the waves of cyberspace, where do we draw the line? Should teachers befriend their students? Should student befriend their teachers? With the growth of Facebook while MySpace is still alive more and more people are signing up for social networking. Whether you Twitter or Facebook, chances are you will run into your kids and your kids may run into their teachers - virtually speaking. As parents should be the monitor for their child's online safety; Should the teacher be part of their off-line - off-campus life? Although there may be some teachers that are comfortable with befriending their students, many would prefer to keep their private lives just that - private. Teachers, as well as many others that either own a business or are employed, like to keep their business lives separate. However there are many that prefer the mix. Depending on your personal comfort level, you will know where you fit in. Learning to respect each ...

Source: Examiner By Heather Marlman As more and more teenagers are taking part in social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it’s becoming more and more important for parents to take an active role in helping to protect their teens online reputation. There are steps that all parents can take to make sure their teenager is playing things smart when they go online both in the text and photos that they post on these social profiles. By taking an active role parents can be certain that the online reputation of their teenager isn’t tarnished. Talk to your teen This is a good time to have a conversation with your teenager about their online “image”. Most teenagers are fairly self conscious about their reputation among their peers, however many of them fail to recognize that what may bee seen as cool or funny to their friends is viewed as suggestive or irresponsible to other adults. Remind them that a growing number of college admissions staff and employers are looking at the online p...

Great article for all parents with teens/tween on social networking sites. Source: The Vancouver Sun Deciding when to be a cyber-parent Finding out what your kids are up to in cyberspace can be touchy, but experts say parents must try Julianne Doctor doesn't bother sneaking around cyberspace to see what her teenage daughter Hayley is doing. Instead, in the cyber-parenting version of having all the kids welcome to hang out in your rec room, Doctor wanders in and out of her daughter's cyberspaces and knows who she is hanging around with and what they're up to. At a time when the first reaction of adults to this week's story about the Facebook "hit list" is to unplug the modem, or at the very least rush off to buy the latest cyber-sleuthing software for parents, Doctor's approach probably isn't the norm. In a week when news broke of a Templeton high school student accused of having a Facebook hit list naming 117 people, I've heard of a worried mother...

Source: ReputationDefender Blog MSNBC and other mainstream media outlets have picked up on the Cisco Fatty story that involves a woman getting fired for her twitter post . Quoting from the page: Why waste valuable social networking hours getting yourself “Facebook fired,” when Twitter allows you to humiliate yourself quickly, and in 140 characters or less? A recent tweet by one would-be Cisco employee proves that when it comes to placing a permanent black mark on your resume via the Internet, Twitter is now the tool of choice. To illustrate, here’s the tweet the now Web-infamous “theconnor” shared with the world: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.” It wasn’t long before Tim Levad, a “channel partner advocate” for Cisco Alert, shared this open response: “Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web...

Today more and more teens are joining Facebook as well as the other Social Network - however Facebook seems to be growing. Why? I honestly don’t know, but I do know parents are enjoying Facebook as much as many kids are. Recently I stumbled over an article on Tangerine Times written by a parent helping us navigate our way through the Social Cyberspace. This topic is critical - as keeping your child’s privacy is important for many reasons. Help your kids stay safe with Social Networking - read this valuable article. Source: Tangerine Times How to Help Your Teen Use Privacy Settings on Facebook Many parents tell me they are frustrated with their teens’ use of Facebook. Here are some of the comments I hear frequently from parents: “They know more than I do about how to use it and set it up, so how can I control it?” “My kids are using it when I am not around, so how can I possibly know what they are doing, who they are talking to and if they are being safe with their information?” “I fe...