Positive Social Media
Your son is turning 15 in a few weeks and approaches you about getting his driver’s permit. You hand over the keys and say, “here son, go practice with my car. I’m sure you know what to do.” That seems like the logical thing to do, right? Of course not. That would be quite foolish to expect an inexperienced 15-year-old driver to be able to know how to balance between braking and accelerating, who has the right of way at an intersection, how to naturally merge into traffic on the freeway, or even what kind of gasoline the car needs. Parents, driver’s education teachers, and the laws of the land help teach teenagers the proper way to operate a vehicle (Simons-Morton, Ouimet, & Catalano, 2008). A smartphone is not quite the same as a car, but handing one over to your child should come with some training, education, and rules. This blog has discussed a few of the potential risks that come from poor use of mobile media devices and social media platforms. It has been scie...