1. Sign in (using email and password.)

2. Click on profile

3. On the top right hand side of the screen there is a tab that says privacy (click on it)

4. Then click on profile (the following is a list of good security measures to make under the profile section)

• Click the dialogue box that says profile and it will give you 3 options (choose the one that says “only my friends”) this will only allow your friends to view your profile.

• There are six categories in the profile section. By clicking each section you will see choices for privacy settings. The best privacy settings should be as follows: Status updates- Only my friends, Videos tagged of you- Only my friends, Photos tagged of you- Only my friends, Online status- No one, Friends- Only my friends, Wall- Only my friends

5. Also under profile you will find a section called Contact Information. Upon originally setting up a face book account the user was given an option to list personal information such as: IM Screen name, mobile phone, land phone, current address, email address, and website. Please remember this information is optional. With that in mind I suggest not listing it all. If you do choose to allow your student to list this information choose the option “only my friends”.

• Also under Contact Information. Who can see your contact emails choose: no one

6. Also under profile you will find a section called Applications in your profile. This controls what portions of your profile are viewable to others. With all of the other settings being set to “only my friends” this step is really not applicable. But just for security measures set the following: Posted items, Groups, Fun wall – to Only my friends.

7. VERY IMPORTANT! In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save” button at the bottom of the page.

8. After you have saved your changes, you will automatically be sent back to the privacy page. Click on who can find me in search and see my private search listing

• You will see an option that will say which facebook users can find me in search: select everyone (this allows anyone with a facebook account to search for your student, this does not mean they can see their profile)

• Under the heading titled who can find my public search listing outside of Facebook? There will be two boxes: “Allow anyone to see my public search listing” or “Allow my public search listing to be indexed by external search engines”. Leave both of these boxes unchecked.

• Under the heading titled What can people do with my search results: leave “poke you” and “view your friend list” unchecked.

• In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save” button at the bottom of the page.

9. After you have saved your changes you will automatically be sent back to the privacy page. There are still 3 categories that we have not discussed left on this page: (1) News, feed and mini feed, (2) Poke, message and friend request and (3) applications. Each of these categories are more of personal preferences than security issues. If the previously discussed security measures are taken this will insure that no one will have access to your students account unless given permission by your student.

1. Sign in (with email and password)

2. After you sign in to the right of the users picture will be a tab that says account settings (click on it)

3. There will be a tab at the top of the page that says privacy (click on it)

• Under the general privacy tab the security settings should be as follows: ONLINE NOW- unchecked, PROFILE VIEWABLE BY- friends only, PHOTOS- unchecked, BLOCK USER BY AGE- unchecked.

4. In order to save all of the changes you have made click the save all changes at the bottom of the page.

5. Scroll back to the top of the page and click the tab that says spam

   • The first heading will say spam presets. Underneath that heading, move the bar to “custom”.

   • The next heading will read communication settings. The list goes as follows: MESSAGES: check the box that says “require captcha for non-friends to send me messages”. FRIEND REQUEST: check the box that reads “require last name or email address”. COMMENTS: check the boxes that read “require approval before comments are posted” and “only friends can add comments to my blog”. GROUP INVITATIONS: check the box that reads “allow only my friends”. EVENT INVITAIONS: check the box that reads “allow only my friends”. IM INVITATIONS: leave the box unchecked

6. In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save all changes” at the bottom of the page.

7. There are still 4 categories that we have not discussed left on this page: (1) Notifications (2) Mobile (3) Calendar (4) Misc. Each of these categories are more of personal preferences than security issues. If the previously discussed security measures are taken this will insure that no one will have access to your students account unless given permission by your student

     Even if your teen isn't actively searching for such sites, simply opening a spam email can give them an eyeful. These emails are sent out to tease readers into wanting more.

      The habits you form and the thought patterns you practice during teen years set the foundations for the rest of your life.  Pornography and other "sexually-charged" material cement unforgettable memories in their minds that will affect their futures marriage and sex life.  It will also corrupt everyday thought patterns and how their relate to people.  Other consequences can include: spiritual or emotional confusion, unrealistic expectations of sex, a wall between your teen and God, addictions they’ll fight for the rest of their life, and so much more.
     Viewing pornography should be taken seriously. Kids from ages 12-17 are the largest consumer of internet pornography. If even well respected pastors have struggled with this issue, then it makes sense for our less mature teens to fall into this temptation rather easily. Even teen girls aren’t immune any longer. The biggest mistake you as a parent can make is assuming this is not a struggle for your teen. Most parents are afraid to tackle this topic with their children. Perhaps this is because the parent themselves struggle with pornography or maybe parents are intimidated by the subject, either way it cannot be ignored any longer. Never assume your kids aren’t vulnerable.
     Use filters and accountability software on your computer. Talk with your teens about pornography, what the bible has to say about it, and it’s affects on their life. Use the resources available to you, such as xxxchurch.com. This site is dedicated to freeing people addicted to pornography and has great resources such as x3spyware. X3spyware is an accountability program that tracks all the websites visited on your computer. Every 2 weeks an email will be sent to two people of your choice outlining any questionable websites that have been visited. There are many resources out there to help fight against pornography. Use the internet to your advantage and research ways to make your computer safe.

     With the explosion of the Internet into a powerful, worldwide medium, the danger to children, whether they are from New York or New Zealand, has drastically increased.

     The most common means by which sexual predators contact children over the Internet is through chat rooms, instant messages and email. In fact, 89% of sexual solicitations were made in either chat rooms or instant messages and 1 in 5 youth (ages 10-17 years) has been sexually solicited online (JAMA, 2001). Considering that 25% of kids online participate in real time chat and 13 million use instant messaging, the risks of such children, either knowingly or unknowingly, interacting with a predator is alarming.

      Most online predators start innocent conversations with teens and slowly earn their trust and friendship. In this way they are able to manipulate teens into saying or doing things they wouldn’t normally do. Check out this link for parent tips to protect your child: http://www.protectkids.com/parentsafety/index.htm

      Instant messaging is becoming an indispensable means of teen socialization, according to studies. Nearly three out of four online teens — 13 million — use instant messages (IMs). Instant messaging, which requires downloadable software (or comes built in with America Online and some other Net providers), allows users to carry on one or more real-time conversations simultaneously in text windows that pop up on a user's computer screen.

       Overall, 73% of kids age 12 to 17 are online in the USA. One in five consider IMs their primary form of keeping in touch with friends; 37% use IM conversation to say something to a friend they wouldn't say face-to-face or by phone. The report says teens use IMs to communicate with teachers about schoolwork, flirt, ask someone out and even break up. Many teens now give out their user name instead of their phone number to potential friends and dates.

     In fact, the phenomenon of carrying on multiple individual conversations simultaneously, never possible before instant messaging, is so prevalent that scientists have given it a name: split attention. On average, a teen IM session includes online chat with more than three friends simultaneously.

     There are pros and cons to this form of communication. Teens have a need to feel connected to their friends and express themselves in this way. However instant messaging can be an avenue for predators. Be sure your teen knows the person they are chatting with. Caution him or her to avoid talking with people who could be lying about their age, gender, and purpose online.

     Another form of television on the internet are racy shows with short 4-5 minute episodes. The “webisodes” get straight to the point excluding any scenes that aren’t necessary for the viewer to follow the show’s message.

     Prom Queen, a show on myspace, is mostly about teenage life. Unfortunately much of this show revolves around sexual activity, drug use, and drama amongst friends or family. The short episodes are packed with inappropriate scenes and suggestions.

     Fearnet.com, a site for fans of horror films, features the show Devil’s Trade. This show is about characters who buy cursed items online. When the item arrives horrible things begin to happen to them. The level of violence and gore will be high in each episode.

     Prom Queen and Devil’s Trade are just a couple of examples. Watch out for more web shows to surface and become popular.

• Never allow your teen to give out personal information. (address, phone number, etc)

• Know which sites, chat rooms or message boards your teen frequents and who they are talking to.

• If your teen wants a myspace, facebook, or sites similar to these, know the user name and password. This way you can periodically monitor what your teen is posting or receiving.

• Protect your teen from inappropriate surprises online by using a pop up blocker.

• Be sure your teen knows to never plan to meet someone they met online.

• Keep Internet connected computers in an open area– Not in a teen’s bedroom.

• Invest in internet accountability programs such as x3spyware.

• Check the history on your computer for any questionable sites that have been visited. Most teens are tech savvy and know how to erase the history if they have viewed inappropriate sites. If this is the case, you can also take your hard drive to a computer repair shop to have the history checked.

• Have a rule that the Internet is not to be used after most of the family has gone to bed.