What Teens Are Really Doing Online
If your son or daughter is like most teens, they spend a lot of time locked in their rooms on the computer. What are they doing in there?
Although you'd like to think they're busily finishing their homework or doing research for an assignment, they're most likely updating their Facebook page or instant messaging their friends.
Teen Girls on Computer
While these activities may sound innocent enough, it's important for parents to watch carefully to ensure that their teens are safe online.
The Truth About Social Networking Sites
Social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook are places teens go to share their lives with friends. The popularity of these sites has made it so most teens - and even most parents - now have a Facebook or MySpace account.
But before you feel too confident just because you know your teen has a Facebook or MySpace account, consider whether you really know what your child is doing on these sites.
According to a poll of 1,013 teens by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that tracks children's media usage, parents consistently underestimate how much time their kids spend on social networking sites and how often they engage in risky behavior, such as posting explicit photos of themselves, bullying other teens or hacking into other people's accounts.
Read how you can keep your teen safe while they're online >>
Getting Your Runaway Teen to Come Home
When a teen runs away from home, the entire family is shaken with worry and frustration. Approximately 2 million teens between the ages of 13 and 17 run away from home each year, leaving millions of parents wondering how to get their child to come back home.
Why Do Teens Run Away?
Teens run away from home for a variety of reasons, but usually some sort of family conflict is involved. Common reasons include the following:
* Heated argument with parents
* Trouble in school
* Feelings of not belonging or not being good enough
* Physical or sexual abuse
* Fighting or violence between parents
* Pregnancy
* Lured by online predators
* Sexual orientation
* Alcohol and drug use (by parents or teens)
* Gang activity
* Loss of a parent due to divorce or death
* Moving to a new area or school
* Peer pressure
The root of the problem may also be a behavioral disorder, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder, or other mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.
Whatever the reason for leaving home, runaways face serious risks to their mental, physical and emotional health. Some of these risks include malnutrition, psychological disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, drug and alcohol abuse, robbery, sexual abuse and physical assault, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
