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How To Approach Kids & Prevent Unnecessary Tragedies
- Talk To Your Kids & Ask Questions:
This can be during normal small talk (how was your day, how was school, etc) that is done daily. Ask them if they ever thought of doing any online challenges. Make sure you watch for their body language and listen for hesitation.
- Make Them Think:
Ask them to show you the challenge and where they found it. Together, walk through each step of what the challenge is asking them to show you and, as a team, figure out where things can go wrong and what could happen.
- Acknowledge Peer Pressure:
Kids are often pushed into doing things by their peers. Let them know that in doing so, they are bullying them. Remind them that by being pressured into doing something could cause them a lot of problems throughout their life. Remember that anything they post online will be there forever and can cause them future problems.
- Try To Stay (Somewhat) Up To Date:
Socialize with your kids. Most kids don't really like talking to their parents about themselves. However, they are more willing to talk about what their friends are doing or going through to their parents. Use that to your advantage! Ask them about school, their friends and what trends that their friends might be in to.
- Encourage Them:
Challenge them to find. or maybe even start, a positive online challenge. Make it fun, while not hurting themself or anyone else. Click on this link for a great example of a positive challenge: