"We have allowed our very responsible 12-year-old son to start an Instagram account to feature our dog. The stipulation he agreed to was that I get full access to his account to view private chats. There is a group of kids in his class who chat on this forum, and I have noticed some serious concerns. My particular concern is about online bullying between other children (not involving my son), and I am wondering if I should let the parents know?"
"I would screenshot those messages and send them to the parents of the kid being bullied, asking them (strongly!) not to share their provenance. I would allow your son to keep his account, because then you retain the ability to see what's going on. If you make him delete it, he's absolutely likely to start a secret account (which he may well have anyway, the kids are way ahead of us), and then if he becomes a target, you will not know about it."
A parent allowed a responsible 12-year-old to create an Instagram account for the family dog, while retaining full access to view private chats. The parent observed a group chat among classmates in which one child told another to "go kill himself," and is deciding whether to inform the bullied child's parents. The recommended response is to screenshot the abusive messages and send them to the bullied child's parents while asking that the provenance remain confidential. The parent should allow the son to keep his account to maintain oversight, because forcing deletion may prompt secret accounts and blind parents to future harm.
Read at Slate Magazine
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