As we become familiar with the dangers of the internet, many parents limit their children’s screen time or add restrictions on certain apps to make sure that their kids are getting appropriate content.
One dad was left furious and concerned at the same time when he made a horrifying discovery on his daughter’s phone while she and her friends were talking about a text message sent by their classmate.
Posting on Reddit, the unnamed dad explained that he had a ‘stern walk’ with his daughter when he realized that someone in her class was asking for explicit photos.
“I have an 11-year-old daughter and from what I’m experiencing is that all these kids try to act much older than they really are,” he wrote. “I am a stepfather but have been her dad for seven years and she’s my everything.”
He said that he took her daughter and her friends to dinner when he discovered something horrifc.
“ My daughter’s friends thought they were being secretive and tried to ‘code word’ and mime about a text one had received from a classmate asking for nude pictures,” he went on.
“I immediately shut dinner down and brought them back home as it was a sleepover. I had a very stern talk with my daughter about what happened while her friends stayed in the tent I set up for them.”
The father said that he wanted to talk to other parents about what he found out but added that he didn’t “want to lose the trust of my own kiddo if any major repercussions happen. Any advice on how far I should press this?”
One Reddit user commented: “For real. I was in middle school in the infancy of social media as we see it today, and f**k man it would’ve been really nice if someone would’ve talked to me about it.”
Another said: “Make it clear that if, despite your warnings, if your daughter or her friends ever make a mistake and share inappropriate stuff online or meet up with someone and something bad happens THEY WILL NEVER BE IN TROUBLE if they come to you.”
“Strict parents make sneaky kids. This is the time to set boundaries and education, not punish and dominate,” the person added.
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