Can What Teens Post on the Internet Affect Them in the Future?

Social Media and College Applications

• Pictures from the latest high school party can pop up in unexpected places. "Forbes Magazine" interviewed admissions directors of the nation̵7;s top 500 Universities and found that more than 25 percent of them checked a prospective student̵7;s social networking sites. Up to one-third of those students were denied admission because of crude language, drinking, or illegal or unethical behavior. Unfortunately, even if your teen doesn̵7;t post pictures of himself at a kegger, that doesn̵7;t solve the problem. Many social sites allow friends to tag your teen and the picture will post ion your teen̵7;s wall.

Internet Predators

• Even if your teen never speaks to a predator, the information she shares on the Internet can pinpoint who she is, where she lives and even where she will be. While many social sites such as Facebook and Google Plus require permission to access a users profile, some don̵7;t. Twitter is a good example. Unless your teen limits use, anyone can access her messaging. Posting an innocent picture of her soccer team in front of the winning town banner tells a predator where she lives, the names of her friends and a quick check of a league website gives him her next practice.

Stolen Images

• As a young mother and professional photographer, Sarah Gilliam shared many pictures of her son on her blog. The goal was to entice other families to use her photography services. When a friend sent her a link to a memorial site for a 5-year-old cancer victim, she was shocked to see her son̵7;s face, according to a 2013 story in "The Daily Herald" newspaper in Columbia, Tennessee. Someone had downloaded images from Gilliam̵7;s blog and written an entire memorial site for an imaginary child who died of cancer. Gilliam found out, too late, that once a picture is uploaded to the internet, anyone can save, manipulate or even misuse the image without asking permission.

What Parents Can Do

• Talk to your teen about using the Internet. The Wisconsin Information Technology Safety Council encourages parents to be very clear when discussing the Internet. Remind your teen that if he can share a picture, so can anyone else. So while he thinks he only texted a picture to a friend, that friend can share, post or publish that shot. A good rule of thumb is to never share a picture he wouldn̵7;t want spread all over school. Parents should also insist on access to teen social media. Check your teen̵7;s profile often. In addition to checking the computer, monitor your teen̵7;s phone for Internet usage and social networking apps.