Keep your kids protected with McAfee

• Teen phone use peaks during the summer months.
• Theft and fraud rise during summer months.
• Studies show that teens who overuse tech can suffer from depression.
• Increased tech use can raise the potential for online conflict and cyberbullying.
• Tech use and overuse among teens is on the rise, with 92% of teens going online daily and 24% who say they go online almost constantly.

So rather than beat yourself up for getting a little lax, just reel in the line with these key reminders that you can bet your kids do not have on their fun radar.

Summer Safety Tips:

1. Keep strangers out. Summer brings with it a sense of freedom and adventure. With kids using tech more, they can easily let their guards down and allow the wrong people into their circle. Your child could be interacting with (and manipulated by) a predator or dangerous person posing as a teen (catfish). A false sense of security can set in not just on social networks it applies to services such as Uber, Lyft, and Craig’s List, where safety is an assumption. Remind kids that anyone can create a profile and to turn down friend requests from strangers.2. Beware of boredom. Boredom can spark poor decisions. If kids get bored with their same old social networks over the summer, they may feel the urge to explore new ones. Be sure to check phones for a few of the dangerous apps such as Kik Messenger, What’s App, and dating apps that could connect your teen with older users. Check your child’s phone for unknown numbers and communication coming in (or going out) that bullies or belittles them (or others) in any way. Boredom also inspires rule bending, or breaking. Social networks, iTunes, and films have age limits for a reason. Be sure your kids follow age limits online and avoid the risk of mature content—and mature users—reaching them.

3. Keep details, location private. Using apps and social networks with GPS can easily be hacked compromising a user’s location. Remind your kids if they are snapping and Instagramming all day that their location services need to be turned OFF and they don’t need to be sharing details about every outing.

4. Protect real friendships. Too much virtual communication can create a false sense of intimacy and closeness. Researchers call this the hyperpersonal effect of online communication versus face-to-face relationships. This is a risk to an emotionally immature youth. Both in the friendship and the intimacy realm, technology can stunt a teens’ interpersonal skills. Help your tween or teen understand this, put tech limits in place, and don’t forget to implement a tech curfew every night.

5. Weigh your words. Words matter—a lot. More and more, words are becoming weapons as more teen suicides become linked to online comments made by cruel peers. Increasing tech use during summer months can dull once sacred boundaries especially when face-to-face encounters decrease. Point out the teachable moments and reinforce your child’s influence and the power of his or her words every chance you get this summer.