Over the past decade, the social life of teens has moved online - Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, blogs, frape, cyber-bullying, sexting…
Teenagers’ lives have been revolutionised by easy access to social media tools 24/7. They are almost never out of contact with friends or family, can share information easily and there is almost always someone online waiting to chat.
A Robert Gordon University (RGU) Professor is hosting a social media event aimed at parents who might be worried about what their teens are getting up to on social media, to discuss how they can stay safe online.
Sarah Pedersen, who is Professor of Communication and Media at RGU’s Aberdeen Business School, will give a presentation with an introduction to social media, and outline some of the challenges and opportunities for teens offered by social media as part of TechFest 2015.
Sarah’s research and teaching focus is on the use of social media in Britain today, including Twitter, Facebook, blogs and online discussion sites.
She said: “I know that many parents have concerns about their teens’ use of social media. While there is no silver bullet or quick solution to ensure that your teens are safe online, the key must be information and communication. Parents need to stay informed about social media so that they are able to talk to their teens about possible risks but also to understand the benefits that social media brings.”
Techfest: #SocialMediaScience will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at RGU’s Sir Ian Wood Building, room N117, at 7.30pm.
For more information and to book, please visit the TechFest site.
TechFest is Aberdeen and the North-East Scotland's annual festival of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and is widely acknowledged as a major event in the annual calendar of the region.