Choosing When to Allow Your Child to Have a Smart Phone is Serious Decision

serious long-term emotional consequences

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Choosing when to allow your teen to have a phone is a serious decision. Unfortunately, many teens have found themselves involved as a part of a horrible problem which is both illegal and has serious long-term emotional consequences.

Although phones may be beneficial to teens, there are very real concerns parents must be willing to address to prevent your teen from being a victim of child pornography.

In an effort to seek attention from others, some teens willingly take and share photos of themselves without clothes and post such photos to social media.

Their security from such actions is that they will remove their faces from the picture and post the materials to a site known to erase such posts.

Needless to say, most sites do not erase the materials and before a teen understands what they have done, their image has been posted, reposted and shared quicker and faster than the teen can imagine or control.

Equally, teens often participate in passing such images along at a lightning pace without concern. Make no mistake, when this occurs, they are exchanging pictures of a naked child, this is a felony and your child will be held accountable.

Yet many teens have a hard time realizing the severity of what they are doing until it has been discussed.

A parent can provide help to their teen by asking this simple question “What will you do if someone posts a naked picture of themselves or someone else?” Listen closely to their answer; help them by talking over steps needed to protect themselves and others.

Additionally, reassuring a teen they can always come to you if they have put something on social media they are ashamed off, is one of the best open doors a parent can offer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Making his home in North Brevard, Matt Barringer has helped with social issues including education, homelessness, hospice and end of life – as well as the revitalization of North Brevard while serving as Vice Mayor for the City of Titusville. He currently serves as a teacher for Brevard Public Schools and specializes in social studies as well as special education. Additionally, Barringer has been an entrepreneur in multiple businesses throughout Brevard County. He is inspired daily by his wife, the former Heather Martine, and their five children.

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