Parenting Tips

For kids and teens, social media is an essential part of their lives, much the way telephones were important to us at their age.

About 90% of teens have used some form of social media and 75% have a profile on a social networking site, experts say.

These numbers are way up from just a few years ago, and there's almost no chance of them ever coming down again.

This isn't necessarily a reason for concern. For most teens, there are plenty of good things about social media. But there are also many potential dangers and things that you want your kids to avoid. Kids don't always make the smartest choices when they post something to a site like Facebook or YouTube, and sometimes this can lead to problems.

Cutting isn't new, but this form of self-injury has been out in the open more in recent years, portrayed in movies and on TV,even talked about by celebrities who have admitted to cutting themselves at some point.

Cutting is a serious issue that affects many teens. Even if you haven't heard about cutting, chances are good that your teen has and might even know someone who does it. Like other risky behaviors, cutting can be dangerous and habit-forming. In most cases, it is also a sign of deeper emotional distress. In some cases, peers can influence teens to experiment with cutting.

It can be shocking and upsetting to learn that your child has gotten in trouble for picking on others or been labeled a bully.

As difficult as it may be to process this news, it's important to deal with it right away. Whether the bullying is physical or verbal, if it's not stopped it can lead to more aggressive antisocial behavior and interfere with your child's success in school and ability to form and sustain friendships.