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

There's no app for parenting teens online today - yet according to a recent PEW Research survey 95 percent of teenagers have access to a smartphone while almost half, 45 percent claim they are online constantly.  That's up significantly from the last survey in 2015 when it was 24 percent were on almost constantly. What else has changed? Where the kids are virtually hanging out. In 2015, 71 percent of teens were still using Facebook as their primary social scene. Today it's dropped to fourth place. In the lead is YouTube at 85 percent, Instagram 72 percent and Snapchat at 69 percent. Parenting in the age of technology. No matter where our kids and teens are gravitating to online, parenting doesn't change. Like growing up offline, it's never without challenges, however today it's compounded with their digital life being as important as their real one. As a matter of fact, most teen's believe that their online life is their life - period. A...

One of my favorite parts of being a Parent Advocate is being asked to share great articles, tips and resources to help parents today.  When I was asked to share this one, I felt it would not only help parents of teenagers, but younger kids too.  11 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe on their Cell Phones Each new generation of parents face obstacles and menaces with which the previous generation never had to contend. The changing times have brought with them a new, more complicated world in which our children must learn to live, to thrive and, most importantly of all, to survive. Contemporary problems arrive without guidelines on the best way to teach our children to stay safe and protect themselves or precedents to guide us in teaching them. It is our job as parents to define the method and provide clear guidelines our children can follow and live with. But when you are in uncharted waters whose depths and dangers frighten you, how are you supposed to steer your children to...

What is next?   As schools are opening and teachers, parents and administrators get ready for another school year, there is another form of bullying/cyberbullying developing.  Sextortion. Teens blackmailing other teens for what they do online with less than flattering photos.  Broward County is not foreign to text rage, as we saw in the Josie Ratley beating.  Or is it stranger to bullying , as we witnessed when 15 year-old Michael Brewer was nearly burned to death.  Now we are dealing with teens blackmailing each other to protect themselves from humiliation. What can you do?   Talk to your kids about this now.  This is even more reason for them not to be passing photos of any kind virtually.  Knowing pictures can be manipulated and photo cropped into some very unflattering pictures, is a fact your teens need to not only recognize, but understand the consequences. Communication is key to prevention - talk, talk, talk and don't stop. ...

Sexting is a word that years ago we would have not heard about. Today teens and tweens are not only familiar with this word, many have suffered the consequences from it. A Thin Line debuted on MTV this month that educates and informs parents, teachers, kids and everyone about the dangers of the digital world. What is Sexting? Sending or forwarding nude, sexually suggestive, or explicit pics on your cell or online. For some people, it's no big deal. But real problems can emerge when the parties involved are under 18, when people get pressured into sexting, and when sexts go viral. - A Thin Line What are the consequences of sending or receiving one? There are many, however the most common are the feelings of humiliation, embarrassment and much worse. The person that is in the photo can potentially suffer from extreme depression and even feelings of suicide. For the person sending them to go viral, there could be potential criminal charges. You could get arrested. Taking, ...

Another teen tragedy that involves sexting, bullying and the horrific end to a young beautiful life. (Photo of Hope Witsell, from Edmund D. Fountain, St. Petersburg Times). According to the St. Petersburg Times , 13 year old Hope Witsell was a typical teen however suffering from inner turmoil that lead to the end of her life. Hope was taunted by ugly and harassing insults which resulted from a nude photo of herself that was spread via text also known as 'sexting'. Although meant for her boyfriend only, this photo soon went viral and school officials suspended her. She was convinced that tons of people secretly hated her according to her journal. The St. Petersburg Times also noted: A 2009 Harris online poll shows that one in five teens admits to having sent naked pictures of themselves or others over a cell phone. But even that number may be low. This is another horrific story that we can learn from. The question is, why is it taking these tragedies to wake us up? Here are some...

Tangerine Times founder has written a very timely Blog about the distressing news of kids and sexting/texting. Please take the time to become an educated parent and proactive in keeping your kids safe not only online, but with their cell phones. Source: Tangerine Times By Myrna L. This summer I’ve been working to expand my abilities into the video world. I was interviewed by a educational film maker about Social Media and teens (I will write more about this later). And, I’m excited to be part of a new video series about technology and kids (more on that later too). I’m also working on including a video component to my site which requires a little time and patience, both of which I’m in short supply lately due to our move. That said, I am excited to find new avenues to talk about teenagers and particularly their use of technology. What Do YOU Know? Frequently I get asked advice or “what do you wish you had known?” questions from parents of younger children. They are wisely looking to ...

I think of the title of this article says it all. Parenting today has more challenges than ever before. Being an educated parent will help you protect your teen. Source: Examiner.com By: Rina Shah, M.D. F.A.A.P Go to Rina's Home Page Sexting, Teens and Cell Phones Recently, I had a 15-year-old girl in my office. We'll call her Emma. She routinely was sexting. She was sexting many young men at the same time.Never heard the term "sexting"? You are not alone.Sexting is sending sexually explicit pictures (of yourself or another) from your computer or cell phone, to another.Teens are doing it all the time. A study done by the National Campaign to prevent teen and unwanted pregnancy shows that approximately 20% of teens send sexually explicit pictures. There are some experts who doubt that number . But after having asked my patients over the last month, I can say that most of my teens knew someone who had been “sexting.” Why do teens send nude or partially nude pictures of...

Source: Jennifer Wagner During the past six months or so, the word Sexting has became part of our daily language. The media use it constantly. Even parents that don't have teens are up in arms about it. New technologies have their price. I want to talk about some of the bigger issues involved with Sexting:What exactly is it?According to the youth written Urban Dictionary : "the act of text messaging someone in the hopes of having a sexual encounter with them later; initially casual, transitioning into highlysuggestive and even sexually explicit". Sexting doesn't necessarily mean pictures and are very often not involved. Although sending provacative photos has become the biggest issue, it is not that common.Legal IssuesRecently the question has come up as to whether minors, sending nude pictures to other minors, should be prosecuted under child pornography laws. Many states are grappling over this issue right now. I think there are two different issues. If a teen s...