AG百家乐在线官网

After the Children's Commissioner for England called for compulsory digital literacy to be taught in primary schools, mother-of-three Deborah Dobrin, from Hertfordshire, describes how she navigates the minefield of her kids' social media usage...

The life of a teenager is governed by social media.

They make plans, meet new people and make decisions in full public view of their friends.

:: Children 'ill-equipped' for social media demands

They are all so image conscious. Almost every picture I see posted is either photo shopped or changed in some way.

Often kids look much older than they are or pose in ways that are not necessarily appropriate for their age.

I am sure this makes lots of children feel insecure about themselves; boys as well as girls.

As the mother of three boys aged 14, 11 and six, I find it really scary and I can't say I completely understand it at all.

My eldest son has access to more social media than my middle son, who is not allowed on Snapchat or Facebook. My youngest son has no access at all.

My social media experience tends to be sharing a few family snaps on Facebook or connecting with people via Linkedin for work.

It's a minefield and something I try to manage as best I can without appearing to be a "smother" (my sons' phrase to describe an over protective mother).

My rules are as follows:

1. I always know their passwords to access their phones and they know I will snoop
2. Their profiles are private and friend requests should only be accepted from people they would speak to in real life
3. If they see anything suspect they need to let me know
4. I have to be a "friend" so I can see what they are posting

I have spoken to all my kids about "reality versus social media" and try to make them understand that most people post a glorified representation of reality.

There is always more behind every picture and everyone puts their "best face" forward.

I find the influence that bloggers and YouTubers have on my children a challenge.

I try to keep on top of who are they following by watching YouTube videos with my kids.

YouTube stars are the new celebrities and though, in my opinion, they are often incredibly dull, I try to show an interest.

For me, the most important thing is to keep the conversation open with my kids, which is no mean feat with teenagers. I am sure there is plenty that I don't know about.

I hope by discussing the dangers of social media regularly it will ensure that if they had a problem either online or off line they would come to me.

Social media cannot be ignored, it is here to stay.

Keeping my kids aware of "online stranger danger" and social media's influence on their confidence and mental health should hopefully make it a safer place. It's the best I can hope for.