I am the mom of a teenage daughter. If you too are in this stage of life, you know the difficulties parents face in raising an adolescent in today’s digital world. Worries over nursing/feeding schedules and growth charts have transitioned to fears of cyber bullying, online predators and teen depression.
I strive to have empathy for my daughter. I remember the days when I was in her shoes. In some ways it was a completely different world back then -- at least in terms of technology. But many of the issues teens go through today seem similar to what teens have always gone through. The big difference is instead of passing notes and gossiping in the hallways, teen interaction has been taken to the world wide web. Technology feels like it takes parenting to a whole new level -- one that makes me feel completely blind-sided by at times.
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So, what is the best way to keep her safe on social media -- while still giving her (some!) of the freedom she has earned at 17? How can I make sure she is safe online, while still maintaining a happy relationship?
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That led me to look for a better way to connect with my teen. That's when I found Bark, an app and website designed to help parents navigate this difficult new world of technology.
I was a little leery about snooping into my daughter’s online outlets. She's 17 after all, and I feel she should have certain privacies. I also don’t want her to feel I don’t trust her. But I need to protect her too.
Bark developers seemed to understand the push-and-pull of those issues and have developed advanced technology that scans the content on my daughter's device and only alerts me when there's a possible safety issue. That means I can "watch" her social media accounts while still giving her the privacy she wants -- and deserves.
One other major benefit I didn't know Bark would have? It's opened up conversations between my daughter and I that we weren't having before. For example, after I received an alert to a possible cyber bullying issue on her Instagram account, I was able to engage her in a discussion over that particular post. We read the alert together, and she was able to explain to me how this event was based on friendly teasing. This insightful conversation helped me to understand the daily dialog that happens between her and her friend. What surprised me the most? The way the conversation naturally flowed into how social media effects her thoughts and feelings. That hasn't happened before. Ever.
Our communities have been shaken by school violence, teen suicide, bullying and other dangerous actions. My heart breaks for families who have been impacted. Some days I am terrified to get out of bed, to send my daughter to school, to let her go to bed at night.
But Bark is giving me hope in building a new relationship with my daughter that includes social media as a part of our conversations. Bark is helping to make this world of social media a lot less frightening for me.
If you have a child who has entered the age of social media, I recommend looking into a service like Bark. After my experience, I believe Bark will not only help you monitor your child's social media presence, but also can help you start having potentially difficult -- but very important -- conversations with your kids -- so you will be there when they need you the most.
Bark is offering Macaroni Kid readers a one-month trial period to give you a chance to see if it is a right fit for your family. Click HERE to get started.
I was offered a free subscription and compensation from Bark to facilitate this review. All views are my own.
