In the world of teenage online dating, there are many things to keep in mind, despite the fact that there might not be any physical contact going on. There are still a lot of factors involved in the teen’s psychological development, especially when it comes to emotional interactions online. Some things you can do to encourage a positive teenage online dating experience are to talk to your teen about their self worth, tell them why you are being strict with their online activities, control which website they go to , and monitor their chats.
The first thing to keep in mind about teenage online dating and teenage dating in general is to talk to your teen about his or her self worth. This has to happen before they get online and while they are online as well. Sometimes teens get online because they are to shy to hang out with their friends. Sometimes this can be a sign of a bigger problem having to do with identity. When you go online, you have the ability to be someone who you are not. You can create a fake name for yourself and sometimes upload pictures of people other than you. The flip side of this is that even if your teen is totally normal, there is a chance that the person they are talking to is not who they say they are. They could instead be a grown forty something year old child molester. This is why it is important to be vigilant about what websites your teens visit and about what they are saying in their chat sessions.
Tell your teen the reasons why you are being strict about their teenage online dating. They will respect you more for it. If they come across some online drama, which happens quite often online, then you can nip it in the bud quickly. A common problem in online dating is cyber bullying. Sometimes when someone knows your teen is dating another person, they will post horrible things on their Facebook or Twitter wall, discouraging or putting down the teen. Activate the appropriate security settings for your teen to block any potential cyber bullies and control which websites they go to. Put monitors on YouTube channels and record their chat logs. Better yet, have your teen get out to meet people physically. That will help them gain confidence about their social skills instead of staring at a computer screen all day long.