Dear Dr. Lisa,
What should I do if I am contacted by another parent about what my child is doing online? Specifically, they are telling me about posts that my child is doing that I am not able to view.
Thank you,
Embarrassed Mom
Dear Embarrassed Mom,
This is such a great question and one that comes up way more than most would like to admit. I especially see this a lot with some middle school kids that are getting more freedom with their cell phones/devices than peers. First, we need to get past the inevitable embarrassment of this situation and assess if what your child is doing online could cause long term consequences to your child’s digital footprint impacting college admission opportunities or even creating financial liability for your family. Of course, being called out by another mom or dad is hard to swallow and perhaps a little shocking, but you need to focus on rectifying the situation as soon as possible to protect your child and family.
Keep in mind that most kids will make mistakes online that should be cause for concern, so it is good to have a network of other parents that can catch things that might slip past you. Ensure that you are open and welcoming of the information that you get from other parents, learn as much as you can and if you have concerns keep in mind that our program is an excellent resource for your family to get ahead of the trends and learn how to manage these online apps.
-Dr. Lisa
