10 Ways to Protect Kids From Social Media Dangers

Being digital natives, today's kids are immersed in the world of technology.  It's as natural as breathing for them.  But we must keep in mind that there are dangers lurking online.

Consider these findings.

  • The average age kids are exposed to pornography on social media is 11.
  • 70% of kids ages 8 to 18 are involved in pornography on social media apps.
  • 11% of kids admit to sending pictures to anonymous people. 
  • 80% of teens involved in sexting are under 18.
  • 12% of girls are pressured for sexting.
  • 38% of girls and 39% of boys admit to getting unknown sexting messages.
  • More than 104 million child porn photos have been found on social media apps since 2002.
  • The most dangerous apps for kids include Ask.fm, Creepy app, Kik, Pheed, Snapchat, Yik Yak, Tumblr and Vine.
  • The most common threats online for kids are cyber bullying, murder, sextortion, sexual abuse and spiking.
It is vital that we protect kids online.  Here's 10 ways.

1. Monitor their social media activity.

2. Be on their friends' list to remain updated.

3. Use available spying apps to view list of installed apps, remove or pause any app remotely.

4. Reduce the time they spend with smartphones by involving them in healthy activities.

5. Petition companies to legalize their terms of use to strictly prohibit kids under 18.

6. Educate kids about the impact, dangers and consequences of leaking private information on social media.

7, No under-age use of social media apps and websites.

8. Check privacy settings of computers/laptops/smartphones used by kids.

9. Limit kids to using technology in your presence.

10. Keep your kids informed about social media crimes and stats.

*This data is from OneSpy.com.