We have spent the last several weeks talking about how to keep your teens safe while texting and this week, we want you to encourage your teens to pick up their phones and text away (but not while driving!). Last Sunday was Friendship Day and we were reminded how very important friendships are—not only to us, but to our teens.
According to the website AboutOurKids.org, teenagers spend almost a third of their waking time in the company of friends and begin to recognize the value and complexity of human relationships—which means, they no longer view friends as just people to hang out with, they view friendships as “a strong and stable bond built up and lasting over time.” Good friends help teens develop both emotionally and socially and studies show that through friendships, teens improve their self-esteem—which means they will be less likely to engage in some of the inappropriate texting behaviors we’ve been talking about lately.
So, this month, celebrate friendship by sending a text or a tweet or posting a nice message on Facebook. Oh, and because we consider all of you our friends, if you tweet this blog, (be sure to use @SecurityFrst or #safetext), or leave a comment on how you use technology to keep your teens connected to their friends, we’ll put your name in for a drawing to win a $25 Amazon gift card.
PS In addition to my current ebook, Safe Text: Protecting Your Teens from the Dangers of Texting, keep watching this space for details on two new e-books that will soon be available to help you keep your teens safe while they are connecting with their friends via cell phone and computers: Protecting Your Teens on Facebook and Social Media Secrets Every Parent of College Bound Teens Must Know!
www.securityfirstassociates.com