Click here to visit Anoka Hennepin's official Digital Citizenship webpage for more great resources and links.

Click here to read Facebook's policy regarding minors and Facebook accounts.

Click here to read Facebook's Safety Center resource for parents.

Cyber Bullying is bullying or harassment that happens online. It can happen in an email, a text message, a game, or on a social networking site. It might involve spreading rumors or images posted on someone's profile or passed around for others to see, or creating a group or page to make a person feel left out. What do you do if you are being harassed online? Most importantly, don't respond-bullies usually are looking for a reaction and tell an adult. In addition, save the evidence, such as texts, emails, facebook conversations, etc. Sometimes you can stop bullying if you ignore or block the person. You can also report the abuse to the website where it is taking place.

The Federal Trade Commission suggests these tips for socializing safely online:

●   Think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Some sites will allow only a defined community of users to access posted content; others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.

●   Think about keeping some control over the information you post. Consider restricting access to your page to a select group of people, for example, your friends from school, your club, your team, your community groups, or your family.

●   Keep your information to yourself. Don't post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers - and don't post other people's information, either. Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline. This could include the name of your school, sports team, clubs, and where you work or hang out.

●   Make sure your screen name doesn't say too much about you. Don't use your name, your age, or your hometown. Even if you think your screen name makes you anonymous, it doesn't take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.

●   Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing - and knowing - about you. Many people can see your page, including your parents, your teachers, the police, the college you might want to apply to next year, or the job you might want to apply for in five years.

●   Remember that once you post information online, you can't take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people's computers.

●   Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways you may not be happy about. If you do post one, ask yourself whether it's one your mom would display in the living room.

●   Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who you're dealing with.

●   Be wary if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Before you decide to meet someone, do your research: Ask whether any of your friends know the person, and see what background you can dig up through online search engines. If you decide to meet them, be smart about it: Meet in a public place, during the day, with friends you trust. Tell an adult or a responsible sibling where you're going, and when you expect to be back.

●   Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell an adult you trust and report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim.

Cyber safety is an important parent-child discussion to revisit frequently with your child, from elementary school through high school. Experts warn that children are most vulnerable to online dangers while in their own home.  While many potential dangers are filtered so students can't access them at schools, parents sometimes forget that children may have direct access to inappropriate sites at home.

Here are some things to review with your child or teen:

●   Anything they do or post online creates a digital record, often called your "Cyber Footprint." Nothing online is totally private, even if you intend it to be.  Once digitized, it can be saved, sent and reposted elsewhere.

●   A good rule of thumb: If you don't want a parent, teacher, principal, future employer or college admissions office to know something, don't post it online.

●   "Friends" aren't always who they say they are; undercover police and pedophiles pretend to be kids online.

●   Never post personal information online. This includes: full name, address, phone number, email, where you are meeting friends or where you hang out.

Limit Access to Your Kids' Profiles and Monitor privacy settings

Many social networking sites and chat rooms have adjustable privacy settings, so you can restrict who has access to your kids' profiles. Talk to your kids about the importance of these settings, and your expectations for who should be allowed to view their profile.

Set high privacy preferences on your kids' chat and video chat accounts, as well. Most chat programs allow parents to control whether people on their kids' contact list can see their status, including whether they're online. Some chat and email accounts allow parents to determine who can send messages to their kids, and block anyone not on the list.

Create a safe screen name

Encourage your kids to think about the impression that screen names can make. A good screen name won't reveal much about how old they are, where they live, or their gender. For privacy purposes, your kids' screen names should not be the same as their email addresses.

Review your child's friends list

You may want to limit your children's online "friends" to people they actually know.

●   Because they often don't see facial expressions, body language, and other visual cues when they're online, teens may feel free to do or say things that they wouldn't otherwise. Remind them that behind the screen names, profiles, and avatars are real people with real feelings.

●   When you talk to your teen, set reasonable expectations. Anticipate how you will react if you find out that he has done something online you don't approve of.

Socializing online

Social networking sites, chat rooms, virtual worlds, and blogs are how teens and tweens socialize online; it's important to help your child learn how to navigate these spaces safely. Among the pitfalls that come with online socializing are sharing too much information or posting comments, photos, or videos that can damage a reputation or hurt someone's feelings.

  Talk to your kids

Applying real-world judgment can help minimize those risks.When your kids begin socializing online, you may want to talk to them about certain risks:

●   Inappropriate conduct: The online world can feel anonymous. Kids sometimes forget that they are still accountable for their actions.

●   Inappropriate contact: Some people online have bad intentions, including bullies, predators, hackers, and scammers.

●   Inappropriate content: You may be concerned that your kids could find pornography, violence, or hate speech online.

You can reduce these risks by talking to your kids about how they communicate - online and off - and encouraging them to engage in conduct they can be proud of.