Cyberbullying, sexting, selfies, porn, the “Momo challenge” – there are a lot of things for parents to worry about when their children have access to technology.
In recent weeks, parents have flocked to social media to warn others about supposed videos featuring “Momo,” a scary creature urging children to harm themselves and others, but the challenge turned out to be a hoax. The hoax had evolved from another faux challenge that proposed ever-escalating dares to kids on the messaging app, What’s App, according to the Associated Press, but it wasn’t linked to actual evidence of children hurting, or killing, themselves.
Regardless, local organizations are doing their part to help parents traverse the muddy waters of parenting in an uncertain digital world.
First Things First, Chattanooga’s local family advocacy nonprofit group, has been holding a new workshop to provide tips for parents in the digital age. The nonprofit noticed once of the most common things parents came looking for guidance on was social media and technology – parents asked for tips for navigating the sometimes-foreign, online world. The organization also recently conducted a survey of 1,000 Hamilton County teenagers on their technology and social media use.
The parents and grandparents who attended the workshop were across the spectrum when it came to their own comfort levels with technology and with letting their children use technology, but many of them shared the same concerns.