A Unique Family Board Game Experience
CHILDREN AND SOCIAL MEDIA
​
Social Media has become a way for children to communicate. With the prevalence of Social Media content shared by individuals, it can often be viewed by strangers as well as acquaintances. Parents may not be aware of the apps that their children use, or be aware of the risks involved in using them.
INTERNET SAFETY
​
​Parents create trust with their children with open, honest discussions. These chats are an opportunity to communicate values and expectations about your family’s appropriate online behavior, including viewing or sharing content while teaching them the warning signs of unacceptable behavior.
CYBER BULLYING
​
Along with other risk factors, Cyber Bullying can increase the risk for suicide-related behaviors. Furthermore, Cyber Bullying can be relentless, increasing the likelihood of anxiety and depression. When not addressed, Cyber Bullying can have long-term mental health effects.
ONLINE PREDATORS
​
When children go online, they have direct and immediate access to friends, family, and complete strangers, which can put unsuspecting children at great risk. The anonymity of the Internet provides the perfect camouflage for a seasoned predator to operate.
Cyberbullying manifests through a diverse range of behaviors, extending from subtle social manipulation to overt threats and sexual harassment.
​
Beyond these, cyberbullying tactics encompass:
-
Exclusion: Intentional exclusion from a group chat was reported in 66.4% of cases.
-
Repeated Contact: Persistent contact via text or online after being asked to stop occurred in 55.5% of cases.
-
Threats: This includes threatening to hurt someone or telling them to commit suicide. Notably, boys are more likely to report online threats than girls.
-
Impersonation: Perpetrators may impersonate someone online to solicit or post personal or false information.
-
Doxing: This involves publicly revealing personal information, such as addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, phone numbers, or social media links, with the intent to threaten and destroy privacy.
​​
More sinister online risks can also include:​
-
Sextortion is a particularly insidious form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of publicizing nude or sexual images of them, to coerce them into providing additional sexual content, engaging in sexual activity, or paying money.
-
Online enticement involves an individual communicating with someone they believe to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. Grooming is a systematic process by which a predator establishes a connection and builds trust and rapport with a minor to gain access for sexual purposes.
-
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), federally defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (under 18 years old), is a grave form of child sexual exploitation.
​
Cyberbullying occurs across virtually any digital environment where children and adolescents interact.
-
Social Media Platforms: Social media is identified as a primary medium for cyberbullying.
-
Gaming Sites: Online gaming platforms are significant avenues for both cyberbullying and more severe forms of exploitation, as they allow predators to befriend and manipulate children.
-
Messaging Apps: Text messages and messaging applications are commonly utilized for cyberbullying.
​
​
"Back in the day" we could tell our children not to talk to strangers and it was easy to understand. The Internet and Social Media has changed the definition of STRANGER forever. Gone are the days when a child’s home is a refuge from playground or neighborhood bullies. The Internet is the new playground, and there are no off-hours. And "Strangers" can come in the form of a computer screen.
Explaining to your child to watch out for inappropriate behavior can be confusing and vague. And defining the new "stranger" can be even more confusing. Children will often tell you exactly what is going on if you just take the time to dedicate your focus to "chatting" with them. Teaching your children Internet and Social Media Safety is more necessary now than ever.
"Let's Chat" addresses Internet and Social Media Safety with questions like:
-Do you ever give your Name, Address, or Phone Number to anyone over the Internet?
-If someone threatens you over the Internet or Social Media, what do you do?
​
You then have the chance to discuss these issues with your child in a safe, secure, and comfortable setting. And with answers and solutions that fit your family!
Let's Chat!
Cyber Bullying and Internet Safety
"Let's Chat" is a Unique Family Game Experience
-
Let's Chat is Unique in the fact that it literally grows up with your child. When your child is younger, you are creating an open communication environment, approaching serious issues in a delicate manner. As your children get older, you are able to expand upon the serious issues with age appropriate conversations. Certainly your conversation with a 5 year old will be different than with a 10 year old. But all the while, you are building a knowledge bank of information on serious issues your child may have to face.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique in the way that it encourages open communication between a parent and child which can be the most effective way of shaping your child's growth and future. But in many cases parents do not know how to talk with their child about such important topics without making it sound scary or even worse, a lecture. "Let's Chat" takes away the awkwardness of these subjects and puts them in a very "matter of fact" way.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique because every family has different dynamics and "Let's Chat" gives you the opportunity to discuss these issues in a way that is best suited for your individual family. While school may address these issues, they are addressed in such a generic way that it may not be suitable for your family with it's unique set of circumstances.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique with the way it approaches and teaches children. Data shows that children learn from repetition, and in an emergency situation you want your child to know right away, without hesitation, how to react to a serious issue. Hoping that your child will know how to react is not good enough. Because your child will love to play "Let's Chat" with you, you have the opportunity teach and reiterate these valuable life lessons.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique by the way that it empowers the child to feel they can open up and communicate in an environment that safe and non-threatening. Each person starts the game with a card that they can use at anytime. It says "Let's Chat about this later!" It gives the parent and child the opportunity to discuss things privately so that the child does not feel embarrassed or shy. It also gives the parents the perfect way to bring it up later when the opportunity arises.
​​The question could be:
What do I do if someone offers me alcohol?
The question could be:
What do I do if someone tells me to hide this from my parents?
The question could be:
What do I do if someone makes me feel uncomfortable?
How To Play Let's Chat:
The greatest thing about how this board game is set up is that everything begins and ends at HOME, where it should. The players pick a card which has a question on it, at that point you "chat" about the question and the answer, then move the appropriate number of spaces. There are no right or wrong answers, only the opportunity for you to "chat" with your child about how your family feels it is best for the issue to be handle
​
​