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My six-year-old’s class is opening a Facebook account – what should I do?
 My six-year-old’s class is opening a Facebook account – what should I do? 750 250 Mediatrics

Q: My 6 year-old daughter’s class is opening a Facebook account. They are spinning it as an “exciting new way to expose 1st graders to social media” and to help them learn to use it responsibly at a young age. The class will post photos, news, and videos of the children, and parents and relatives can read…

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How can my six year old explore music on her own without being exposed to inappropriate content?
 How can my six year old explore music on her own without being exposed to inappropriate content? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My six year old loves music, and I would like her to have something digital with which to listen to a variety of good music. I want her to have a certain level of independence as she explores her musical tastes, but I don’t want to get her something too advanced. My husband often…

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Should a 12-year-old have a personal YouTube account?
 Should a 12-year-old have a personal YouTube account? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 12-year-old son wants a YouTube account so that he can post videos of himself talking about how to play certain games. He says he can earn money this way, as some of his friends do. He says he can be totally anonymous, so there are no risks. I told him I am willing…

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How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween?
 How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My kids (10 and 7) have been invited to a number of Halloween-themed parties this year that are being held at their schools and at the homes of a few of their friends. Several of these parties will have scary movies, scary music, and in one case (the school’s) a dramatic reading of a…

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A teen patient texted her friends about suicidal thoughts, and her stepmother found out. How should I counsel them?
 A teen patient texted her friends about suicidal thoughts, and her stepmother found out. How should I counsel them? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: A teen female patient of mine texted several of her friends disclosing that she felt suicidal. She did not disclose a plan, nor was there a suicide pact for her group of friends. Her stepmother found out about this text message several days later, and felt obligated to call the parents of all the friends…

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My 15-year-old opened secret social networking accounts, what should I do?
 My 15-year-old opened secret social networking accounts, what should I do? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 15-year-old son has taken it upon himself to secretly open up social media accounts, one of which is Snapchat. We found out about these sites because we do go through his ipod and computer from time to time. He knows that we have the passwords to all his online accounts for which we have…

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What are the best Facebook privacy settings for my child?
 What are the best Facebook privacy settings for my child? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I was on Facebook the other day and noticed that my friend’s teens had Facebook profiles. I could see the entire profile of one (pictures, information, posts, etc.), while I only had limited access to the other (basically just her name and one picture). This made me wonder, what are the privacy options on…

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My daughter is upset by Justin Bieber’s behavior, how can I help her cope?
 My daughter is upset by Justin Bieber’s behavior, how can I help her cope? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 12-year-old daughter is devastated by what has been happening with Justin Bieber. She has been a fan of the pop star “forever” and she and her friends fervently follow his career and personal life. I originally supported my daughter’s obsession (allowing her to buy his music, hang posters in her bedroom, attend a…

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How can I stop my kids from being ‘catfished’?
 How can I stop my kids from being ‘catfished’? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q:The Manti Te’o “catfish” story makes me wonder how I can best prepare my teens for future online friendships. My teens say that kids meet through friends-of-friends online and off, but online they just lie about personal information. I’ve always thought that practicing strong communication skills, honesty, integrity, and trust would help my kids grow…

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How can I monitor my 12-year-old daughter’s use of Instagram?
 How can I monitor my 12-year-old daughter’s use of Instagram? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I am trying to monitor my 12-year-old daughter’s use of Instagram and am wondering if there is a way to find any ‘secret storage’ spaces on her smartphone. I am not too concerned right now, but in the future I would like to know how to access it. Instagram is the only social media platform…

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