WTVM.com and WTVM News Leader 9, Columbus, GA | Parents Affected by Kids Posts on Social Networking Sites

Parents Affected by Kids Posts on Social Networking Sites

Nov. 27, 2007

Sixteen-year-old Shannon knows the drill, anything she posts on social networking sites can come back to haunt her when she applies for college or a job.

But now there's a new twist to the warning.

"I had no idea that things I post on the internet could come back to hurt my family, not just me," says social networking site user Shannon Sullivan.

But many families are getting hurt... according to internet safety expert Parry Aftab.

"I've represented a lot of parents who've come to me when they have been fired, they've been demoted or they've been called on the carpet because of what their kids posted online," says Aftab of Wired Safety.

Aftab says many teens still don't get it... that their posts on networking and blogging sites aren't private.

"I always warn kids never to post anything that parents, principal, predators can't see. Now, I have to warn them not to post anything that their parents' boss or anybody in their neighborhood shouldn't be seeing either."

Social networking expert Sgt. Corey Macdonald agrees.

He tours the country speaking about internet safety and says police and employers are watching... looking for , and finding all kinds of dirt.

"Whether we're talking about dad's work secrets or problems between mom and dad with their relationship," says Macdonald.

We asked him to show us just how easy it is to find incriminating posts.  It didn't take long.

"Not only do I have to live with my nagging mom, my dad does drugs. This person, Tara, says her parents are lazy alcoholics," says Macdonald.

He says it's not hard for police or employers to uncover the identity of teens from the details in their profiles.

"All they have to do is narrow down who this person is that's posting this. And then, it's relatively easy to search their name on one of the online search sites and find out who their family is."

They're also getting a lot of anonymous tips. Some posts are leading to arrests, like the case of a boy who boasted online about his mother buying a keg for his underage friends!

"This is a much bigger problem than people are aware of," says Aftab.

Aftab says even innocent-sounding news can do damage.

"They may be talking about how their father is losing a job and perhaps a neighbor who's the mortgage broker for the father isn't aware that the father's job is in jeopardy."

Experts say it's critical for parents to talk to their teens about the repercussions of revealing family business and make sure they turn on all privacy settings.

Shannon does that and is careful.

"I use social networking sites to connect with my friends. I leave my family life at home," says Shannon.

A good thing, says mom Margaret... who checks Shannon's posts from time to time.

"It's important to know what they're doing and to be able to help them if they get into trouble. And to keep them safe and, apparently, now we have to have them keep us safe as well," says Shannon's mom Margaret Sullivan.