Internet safety Chat

So I decided to share what I learned about internet safety with my mom. She is the young womens leader in our ward back home and I thought she could really use the things the things that I have been learning about. It actually ended up being a really useful conversation for her because one of the young men in the ward has been a victim of cyberbullying lately and the ward is having someone come address the youth on internet safety. We talked for awhile about the differences between the generations and how the level at which teenagers are living their lives on the web is even surprising to me, and it has not been that long since I myself was in high school. I explained to her how easily someone can get a hold of information on the web and steal someone's identity. I explained what phishing was and how to watch out for it and avoid it. Then we talked for a long time on how to protect the youth. We discussed ways to help her young women and things that I could do in the future for my children. She explained to me the precautions that she and my dad took with my brother and I ( having certain cites blocked, having the computer in an open area, talking regularly about what appropriate internet use is). We both acknowledge that times are changing and that the web has become teenagers' main way of socializing, so the hard part then becomes allowing them to have enough freedom to still feel included and social, but at the same time making sure that they are living in the real world and not the cyber world. I told my mom how much it scares me to see stories like the young boy who killed himself as a result of cyberbullying, and the teenage girl who had anorexia and was being encouraged by people and cites online. I think that as members of the church we have an advantage when it comes to teaching our children safety on the internet. They understand truths that those who don't have the gospel don't and as a result they have motivation that others have a hard time finding. It was kind of comforting to talk to my mom and to realize that she and my dad survived raising my brother and I through times that they weren't familiar with. I know that the role of technology in teenager's lives is only going to increase by the time I have children, and although I won't be completely familiar with it I feel like I will be able to adjust.