Ten Things Parents Can Do To Keep Teens Out of Trouble with Sexting

The reality of teen life in the USA requires that parents do some Internet policing to keep their children out of trouble with adult internet predators, on the one hand, and aggressive law enforcement under child pornography laws, on the other. Here are 10 things parents can do to keep their teens out of trouble.

1. Insist on being included as a "friend" on all your child's Internet accounts.

If your child is on Facebook or Pinterest, you must be included as a friend notified of all posts.

2. Make sure your child understands that images on Snapchat don't necessarily disappear.

Many teens erroneously believe that a photo they send will erase itself after it has been viewed by the recipient. However, recipients of Snapchat photos actually have 10 seconds to download the image. Even in case where downloads are impossible, recipients may take screenshots.

3. Have a conversation with your teen about Instagram.

Problems with Instagram tend to pop up at parties. Many parents don't even know their children are on Instagram, until groups of teens start sending photos at parties.

4. Turn off wi-fi at night.

Many parents turn off wi-fi accounts at bedtime, so unsupervised social media posts are less likely to occur. Determined teens, of course, may simply hack the neighbor's wi-fi, so it doesn't hurt to ask your neighbors to make sure their systems are password protected.

5. Link your children's mobile devices to your iTunes account.

This way you are notified when they download social media programs.

6. Don't forget about devices you wouldn't expect could be used for social media.

Even a Kindle Fire or an iPod Touch can be used to access social media accounts such as Facebook and Kik.

7. Remember that restricting access to the Internet requires restricting access to cell phones.

Most adults don't use their cell phones for accessing the Internet. Almost all teens do.

8. Take appropriate action when Internet use is excessive.

The average teen accesses the Internet 150 times per day. Using the Internet to the exclusion of face to face social interaction, however, indicates a possible need for further investigation.

9. Remind your children that teen relationships usually don't last forever.

Many teens only sext with other teens for whom they have deep trust. When the inevitable breakup comes, however, sexts may be shared as an act of revenge. Even if teens are not inclined to listen, make sure they know that these kinds of angry actions can and do occur in teenage romances.

10. Establish media-free family meeting times.

Make sure you spend face time with your kids each and every day, with no cell phones (including yours) allowed to interrupt.