13 WTHR IndianapolisConnected Kids: Facetime

Many of us remember the TV announcements that asked, "Parents, do you know where your children are?"
    
But now the question is, "Parents, do you know what your children are posting"?
    
With today's technology, kids are connected more than ever before, and that means access to video cameras.
    
From toys, to phones to computers, cameras are everywhere. For the "I-Generation," it's part of their everyday life.
    
But are parents zoomed in on where teenagers are turning the camera lens?
    
Dan Claasen is Program Director for Cyber Guardian, an organization that educates schools, churches and parents about today's technology. Classan cautions, "One bad decision with a video camera that goes online can last a lifetime."
    
He says the same values you'd teach in real life also apply to the virtual world.  He asks, "Are we okay with the video camera being in the bedroom all night?"
    
Parents would not likely allow their daughter's boyfriend in her bedroom with the door closed, but that may be exactly what they are allowing to happen with live web programs like Facetime and Skype.
    
And it's not just about taking a video or posting it online, say experts.  It's about live conversations at a time when teens are emotionally-driven.
    
As Claasen explains, "They don't have the frontal lobe development adults do.  They are very quick to act."
    
And so parents, he says, must be faster on the flash.  Claasen recommends:

1. Keeping the camera out of the bedroom, in any form. 
2. Utilize control settings and most importantly,
3. Communication

Parenting hasn't really changed, says Claasen, (technology) just adds a new layer.