CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - May 17, 2011) - TrueCare LLC, a provider of Internet monitoring services that automatically track a child's use of today's most popular social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter for inappropriate content, has announced that it is offering the Family Social Media Agreement, a free tool to help facilitate conversation between parents and kids about the rules and expectations for using social media sites.
"May 17th is National Cyber Safety Day," said Dave Barker, vice president of TrueCare. "This day is a reminder to parents and their kids to be proactive in practicing online safety."
The Agreement, which was posted on TrueCare's blog in early May, was "road tested" and validated by parents as a contract with realistic expectations. This final Agreement is meant to be a starting point for parents to engage their children in a discussion around safe Internet use.
"The Family Social Media Agreement will help parents transform a quick after-school chat into an in-depth discussion about stress, popularity, depression and social media, thus making the child feel as if the parent understands their world," said Mary Jo Rapini, LPC and TrueCare Advisor. "It also allows the child to recognize that they will be able to talk to the parent safely in regards to any threat, or concern they have or receive via the computer or phone."
The Family Social Media Agreement applies equally to parents and kids. Parents agree to stay involved in their children's Internet use and learn their child's networks and online social circles. Kids agree to use common sense on social networks. The contract also lays out agreed-upon penalties should someone break the agreement.
TrueCare Advisor Alison Rhodes, who runs The SafetyMom website, is encouraging parents to use the Family Social Media Agreement at home. "You can't really talk to your kids enough about the importance of cyber safety and the rules around using social media sites," said Rhodes. "TrueCare has provided a great tool to guide parents in this conversation and state their expectations clearly."
To mark the significance of National Cyber Safety Day, TrueCare is offering a free 30 day trial, and has made the free offer and the Family Social Media Agreement available at: www.TrueCare.com
About TrueCare
TrueCare developed this best-of-breed service, in conjunction with parents as a way to effectively monitor their child's online social networking activity without invading their child's privacy. TrueCare helps parents identify potential online dangers and keep an open dialog with their children about their online safety. For more information please contact TrueCare at 1-877-368-6390 or visit them online at www.truecare.com.