Online-safety myths & tips

Of course, I'm biased in liking the message in my ConnectSafely co-director's column at CBSNEWS.com. But Larry Magid debunks the prevailing myths about teen safety on the social Web and offers what we feel is the best way to approach sticky situations that come up. For example: "For adults - whether parents, teachers, administrators or authorities - it’s important to listen and provide support to a child or teen who is scared, worried or bothered by such contact but not to over-react or 'punish the victim' by taking away Internet privileges or forcing them to avoid using social networking sites or other services. The fear of an adult overreacting is one of the reasons many teens give for not coming forward if they have a problem. And parents need to know that taking away a teen’s online privileges could backfire by prompting him or her to go into stealth mode by finding hidden ways to get online."