It seems that every day we, as parents,
are warned about the dangers facing teens on the Internet. Rare is
it that you hear about a positive site aimed at these kids. I'm proud to have found one: TeenCentral
(www.teencentral.net).
This website is sponsored by KidsPeace, a non-profit organization
dedicated to helping children in crisis. It allows kids to post
anonymously, was developed by experts in teen counseling and
psychology, is professionally monitored, and provides “a
password-protected, safe cyberspace for teens to work out their
issues.”
Teens have a lot of options here: from
writing their own stories (anonymously), to listening to teen
podcasts, and exploring and learning about topics like:
- Bullying
- How To Quit Smoking
- Alcohol Awareness
- Growing Up Military
- Interfaith (where kids can learn about different faiths)
- Domestic Violence
- Dating Violence
- Weight Issues
One of the coolest features is the
Search-O-Matic where young adults can search by a keyword. So, for
example, if a teen types in the word “parents,” any teen stories
that feature “parents” comes up. These could be stories about
parents favoring one child over another, divorce, parents who
promised music lessons but didn't follow through, etc.
Kids can also share videos on Teen
Central, however they are warned that because the site values
anonymously and safety, it will “not post any video that contains
your actual name,
where you live
or any contact information such as email
address or phone
numbers.” Furthermore, they stress that “if you
submit a video that you are visible in, people will see your face and
therefore will be able to identify you.”
There's also a section called Just Ask
Me that features a series of videos called “More Than Just Sex”
and was created by Community Healthcare Network's Teens P.A.C.T.
program in New York City. These videos are targeted to empower teens
to make positive decisions, create social change, and positively
impact the rates of teen pregnancy, STD's and HIV.
Lastly, the site features links to
national and international help lines, thus ensuring that help for
troubled teens is only a phone call away.
Kids can register on TeenCentral for
free in order to gain full access to the entire site. Since it's
interactive, it stores what they tell it and customizes topics to
their life. BUT since it's totally anonymous, teens can feel free to
share what's going on in their lives and because email addresses are
not given, no one can track the kids down or spam them.
Pass this website’s address on to a
teen you love. And if you'd like to learn more about KidsPeace,
visit http://www.kidspeace.org.
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Note: This article first appeared on the website www.thegeekparent.com. Visit me there!
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