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Online social networking sites allow youth in foster care and adoption to connect with others who have shared their experiences. However negotiating social relationships – online ones included – can still be tricky. Youth can can be at risk, and for foster and adopted youth, issues such as who to trust, what to share, and understanding good boundaries in relationships all have online social networking implications as well in person-to-person interactions.
The National Adoption Month 2012 website by the Children’s Bureau offers some great resources for youth to help them be safe while on social networking sites. Here are some great resources:

  • The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers an English and Spanish version of their NSTeens resource of videos and comics aimed to help tweens navigate the internet.
  • Social Safety.org has a guide for safe and responsible social networking
  • Social Media Safety, created by the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development, is a guide for youth

Resources for social workers, foster and adoptive parents and others working with foster and adopted youth: