Teens and Facebook: Permission to stay connected or risk to employers?

Today’s teenagers were born into an era in which they never knew a world without TiVo, internet or chat rooms.  Whether at school, work or band camp, kids are social in person, and  they take their expectations on remaining plugged in wherever they go.    Will their habits succeed in the workplace, or crash and burn?

This month Junior Achievement and accounting firm Deloitte released a survey report about teenagers and their expectations about social networking habits on the job.

In our mobile society this probably would not come as much of a surprise to anyone:

The report found that 88 percent teens surveyed use social networks every day, with 70 percent saying they participate in social networking an hour or more daily.

More telling however, was that half (58 percent) said they would consider their ability to access social networks at work when considering a job offer from a potential employer.

Although the majority of teens surveyed stated they do not behave unethically while using social networks (83 percent), the report found conflicting information.  Read on for some statistics:

• 40 % do not consider the potential reactions of college admissions officers
• 38 % do not consider the reactions of present or future employers
• 30 % do not consider their parents’ reactions.
• 16 % readily admitted to behavior that included posting content embarrassing to others, spreading rumors and pretending to be someone other than themselves, with a vast majority of them expressing regret later about doing so.

These figures provide some soboring statistics for employers.   A lack of mindfulness can hurt a friendship, and yes, that can be costly to the individuals involved.  But what if you’re a business owner?   The implications of an employee’s post can put the costs (both financial and reputation) to a company beyond repair.  The cost from bad pr, lost sales or even a lawsuit due to an employee’s action spreading rumors about co-workers or managers and leaking proprietary information can be overwhelming.

As the job force of the future puts such an emphasis on social media, additional training and education is required.  As employers may be less familiar with social media tools than their young hires, they will need to consider enhanced training and communication relative to social networking in order to recruit the best and brightest.  However, teens entering the workforce may also need to learn some lessons about ethical decision-making tools to help them understand the importance of behaving with integrity on- and offline.   After all, once something is posted, it can live on forever.

Currently more than half of the companies surveyed by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics do not have a social medial policy.  Employers need to recognize that policies should be created sooner than later to avoid risk.   I am a legal marketer by trade, and love the e-blasts sent by Jaffe Associates.   I’ve provided a link for their published  Social Media policy.   This is a good sample, regardless of industry.   But definitely work with your HR and legal department to make sure this is right for your company.

A little leg work now, and employers and recruits can interact with each other safely and effectively.

Kids & Mobile Technology: Parental Controls Required

 Young people are seemingly born with a knowledge of how to text via cell phone and navigate the internet. They are comfortable using new technology and are fascinated by the information and imagery that can be obtained at their finger tops.  In many cases, youngsters are more comfortable with these tools, offering a real challenge for parents to provide guidance.

In today’s modern society, our world revolves around a mobile device, and that age group is becoming younger and younger.  A report by C&R Research, found some staggering statistics:

• 22 percent of children ages 6-9 own a cell phone
• 60 percent of tweens (ages 10-14) own a cell phone
• 84 percent of teens (ages 15-18) own a cell phone
• The report found that by 2011, 54 percent of 8 to12 year olds will have cell phones.

This month, the Federal Trade Commission released a report that indicated that although producers of violent music, movies, and video games have made some strides in blocking the access of these items to children, more needs to be done.

The report found that the music industry has blocked actions to implement rules restricting the marketing of explicit-content labeled music to children.  Although music retailers and online sites were found to be consistent in displaying a parental advisory label, retailers only prevented 30% of children from buying explicit-content music.    Movie theaters fared somewhat better, with a 72% turnaway rate for underage kids  to R-Rated movies.   However, retailers failed to enforce rules against underage purchase of R-rated and unrated DVDs.

And now the bright side.   The FTC found a the highest degree of compliance with the video game industry’s marketing and advertising rules, blocking  the sale of M-rated games to children, with an average denial rate of 80 percent.    Granted this does not preclude Mom, Dad or a favorite uncle from purchasing the content, but it does allow an extra layer of protection against kids.

The FTC offerered a side of caution against kids and mobile technology.   The growth of applications for cell phones, combined with the lack of ratings system for mobile apps is a cause for concern.   A search of “free mobile games” on Google brings up countless responses on free downloads, with available titles ranging from the harmless to the adult.   Although many sites have family filters in place, smart kids can easily turn this off without mom or dad’s knowledge.

So, what is a parent to do?

Although filters, V-Chips and parental controls help, they may not be the answer, as most kids will find a way to bypass such tools.  As many games are free, and riddled with advertisements, parents can also make their opposition of violent games clear by online protest, or with their pocketbooks by not spending money on advertised products.    Believe it or not, research still shows that kids really do pay attention to what their parents say.  It’s certainly not easy, but in-person communication with your kids about may still be the best form of ”social media” after all.

New Media: beating cyberbullies at their own game

With advances in technology, individuals can use it for good or for evil. An unfortunate result of online communication is cyberbullying.

Today CNN is featuring a success story in which a bulled teen was able to turn the tables by using new media aganst her attackers. A video of a student being filmed was posted on Social Media sites YouTube and CNN ireport. The video received many views, including one by a local reporter, who notified the authorities. A clip to the video can be viewed here.

Cyberbullying is a term that can relate to many things: A chat room discussion. Fake profiles on a social networking site. Unflattering video or image posts. Hurtful instant messages. These are all ways to harass, ridicule, embarrass or threaten another person.

The problem is that what used to happen on school grounds has spread to the masses. Cyberbullies can enroll other students to join in that may normally not be an active participant on school grounds. The end result that unseen people who wouldn’t normally bully don’t take it as seriously because there is an sense of anonymity behind a keyboard or mobile device. As we’ve seen in recent headlines, the end result of Cyberbulling can be deadly.

A national law enforcement survey released some alarming statistics. Their poll of children and teens found that one in three teens and one in six preteens have been victims of cyber bullying. Estimates show that more than 13 million children aged 6 to 17 were victims of cyber bullying. Read more for some additional alarming statistics:

– One-third of all teens (12-17) and one-sixth of children ages 6-11 have had mean, threatening or embarrassing things said about them online.

– 10 percent of the teens and four percent of the younger children were threatened online with physical harm.

Most alarming statistic? More than 2 million of those victims did not report the cyberbullying.

Through social media, the victim was able to use the same tools in order to report the problem. Well done.