Digital Smarts - So What Should You Do If Your Kid Lies In Their Online Postings?

There is lots of online advice helping you prepare your kids to not post things that could later get them into trouble, but what if they have already done it? Facebook has gotten better about letting you delete self-posts, and those shared with others, but what if your child blatantly lies or posts under other names? This was the recent topic of digital etiquette expert Steven Petrow in his USA Today column entitled What parents should do if kids lie on social media.

In short, his advice is to try the “carrot before the stick” approach, first by trying to understand why they posted whatever they did so little things don’t get blown out of proportion, and then requesting that inappropriate items get deleted from their social media sites. He also suggests having the discussion again about how future employers and college admission officers look into social media postings, and how kids need to put their best foot forward, always. If that doesn’t work, though, he advises that there is nothing wrong with turning your request for deletions into a demand.