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Children are being referred to as “Digital Natives”. This term means that they have never known a world without the serious influence of media and technology. There are no “before there was internet…” stories for you children, it has always existed. The good news is that there are a plethora of resources available now for your child’s spiritual development and you can have it at the click of a button! The real question is how do we deal with all the bad stuff? If you are a parent or guardian of a preteen, here are some simple guidelines to help you navigate this:

1. Set boundaries. Your child has a right to their private space (i.e. journals), but when it comes to Internet and, more specifically, social networking, those are public forums for predators and inappropriate content and you have every right to monitor that. Let your child know what they are allowed to look at online and know their passwords to social networking sites.  If they do not like those rules, then they will not have the privilege of using internet.
2. Talk openly. When they ask, “Why?” and you say, “Cause’ I said so!” you have missed a golden opportunity to teach! From the beginning, be honest with your children about why you set boundaries and how you love them and are concerned for their safety. Will it guarantee they will cave in easy? No, but it sure helps to know that you respect them enough to be honest.
3. Check consistently. It is one thing to say you will monitor their accounts; it is another thing to actually do it! Make sure you log in a few times each month to make sure all is well.