Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World by Devorah Heitner, PhD
There were so many revelations for me in this book. Because our children are homeschooled, we have avoided much of the digital world. I even avoided a smartphone for many years after they became otherwise ubiquitous.
The author introduces some of the ways teenagers interact in the digital world, the mistakes they often make, how we as parents can address those mistakes, and how we can teach them to protect themselves.
The ramifications of digital everything can be overwhelming, but the advice on navigating these topics as parents was helpful.
We want to teach kids to do the right thing, not catch them doing the wrong thing. (p. 12)
In fact, I found many of them helpful for non-digital issues as well.
We never want our kids to be so afraid of getting in trouble or of being humiliated that they keep secrets--that make them even more vulnerable to exploitation. (p. 196)
The book contains a good list of considerations for posting photos and videos and other digital interactions. It also has good recommendations of things parents and teens can actually do. There are numerous references to transgender issues and gender identities, which some parents will find more useful than others.
Overall, I found this a helpful book.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I borrowed this book from the library. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.
