Social media use among teens has become almost universal, and nowhere is this more evident than in the proliferation of photographs and social media posts shared by older kids and teens. Because the rise of social networking has been so rapid and recent, however, the possible pitfalls of social media use are often poorly defined and overlooked. According to a 2012 survey by Pew Research Center, 91% of teens report posting a photo of themselves on social media profiles, but only 9% of older teens report being “very concerned” about third-party access to the information on their social media accounts. This amounts to a great deal of identifying information that potentially opens them up to interaction with or exploitation by strangers.

Enabling parental controls and monitoring internet usage are very effective ways to lessen the risks, but there are even more basic measures parents can take in the meantime to help ensure that their kids aren’t compromising safety through the information they share on social media.

Cyberbullying is a term that would have been unheard-of even 15 years ago. Today, as our digital presence increasingly overlaps with our everyday lives, it has become an area of major concern for many parents. Recent surveys on cyberbullying indicate that anywhere from one-fifth to one-half of all teens have experienced some form of it.

Understanding what cyberbullying is can be the first step in helping to prevent it. By definition, cyberbullying involves sending material intended to embarrass, insult, or harass another individual via social media, text, email, or instant messaging. Some forms of cyberbullying are more obvious than others. For example, a cruel reply to a Facebook post is easy to identify, but cyberbullying can also involve more subtle acts such as creating a fake profile to impersonate another person or publicly sharing information that was intended to be private.

Many corporations, large and small, engage in some form of charitable giving. Whether these corporations offer monetary donations to nonprofit organizations, provide volunteer support, or match employee contributions, there are numerous benefits throughout the chain of individuals involved in any form of corporate charitable giving. The OffenderWatch® Initiative (OWI) is just one of numerous nonprofit organizations that owes its continued survival at least in part to corporate contributions.

Human trafficking represents an international human rights crisis, and awareness of the problem is growing. However, many parents in the United States may not have a strong understanding of the threat that human trafficking may represent to their own children. This practice may be seen as an issue only in certain parts of the world or in certain populations, but the reality is that men, women, and children in every country can become victims of human trafficking operations.

Private and government agencies who address the problem of human trafficking have a very difficult task, because no one has been able to compile any reliable statistics about the number of people involved in human trafficking schemes or the exact way all of these schemes operate. In addition, human trafficking is an “underground” issue. By its very nature, human trafficking operates in secret, and involves victims who are difficult to track or merely disappear.

With an estimated 95% of American junior high and high school students accessing the Internet on a daily basis, the question of how to restrict and monitor this group’s online activity has become an especially hot topic. Parents should be aware that there are a number of ways to control what their children are exposed to online, even if the family is on a tight budget. Effective parental controls mainly require a bit of research and a fair amount of vigilance.