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SALT LAKE CITY -- Many teachers are Facebook friends with their students, and some parents are online friends with their teens' friends. But what do you do if those kids post bad pictures or confessions online?
Your first instinct may be to turn them in, depending on how bad the behavior is. But Anne Collier, the co-director of connectsafely.org, based here in Utah, says first you should talk to teens about online safety and reputation.
"(Tell them to) keep in mind anybody can see that stuff eventually. We need to protect our image and be aware of the reputation we are establishing online and offline, because there is very little distinction anymore," she said.
Collier says once you've taken action, step back.
"It's perfectly fine to have a profile and friend your kids, but it's kind of weird for an adult to friend everybody on his or her child's friends list," she sid.
Collier says anything illegal must be dealt with but an educational approach with teens is better.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
