The Truth, Facts, & Lies team strives to involve parents in everything we do.  The following information is for parents and guardians looking for extra resources and includes conversation starters to use with the youth in their lives. When using the conversation starters, allow your child to do most of the talking. Pose the question and let them work through a variety of solutions. Ask them for pros and cons of their solutions and what they think will happen next.

SOCIAL MEDIA

  1. Familiesmanagingmedia.com – information on cell phones, video games & social media; rules for phone use, how to know if you child is ready for a phone/social media
  2. Commonsensemedia.org – great for reviewing video games
  3. Thatsnotcool.com – memes to use when responding to bullying, peer pressure, requests for nudes, etc

Conversation Starters:

  1. Is social media making us unsocial?
  2. How can you prevent that from becoming an issue within your peer group?
  3. Tell me about the apps you use. (Have your child set up an account for you and teach you how to use it).
  4. Tell me about your privacy settings.
  5. What are positive ways social media impacts your life?
  6. Do you know your social media followers in real life?

BULLYING

  1. Pacer.org

Conversation starters:

  1. What is bullying? (Bullying is repetitive, targeted, and the intention is to hurt).
  2. Why might someone be mean or bully?
  3. What makes it hard to intervene if you witness this happening?
  4. What can you do to make your school kinder place?

Sexual Abuse

    1. Darkness to Light

    2. Erin's Law

 

Conversation starters:

  1. What would you say to a friend who confides in you that they have been sexually abused?
  2. If something were to happen to you, what would you do? Who could you tell?
  3. What would make it difficult to tell someone that you had been abused?

If someone discloses abuse to you, let them know that you believe them and they were brave to tell. Let them know you love them, care about them, and will stand by them. It is never to late to tell someone. Do not promise them that you will not tell anyone else. 

DATING & RELATIONSHIP ABUSE

  1. Joinonelove.org
  2. Loveisrespect.org
  3. Interactofwake.org

Conversation starters:

  1. What does a healthy relationship look like?
  2. What are you looking for in your relationships?
  3. What would motivate your partner to want the passwords to your phone or accounts? How will you respond?
  4. What will you do if you know your friends is in an abusive relationship?
  5. What will you do if someone is threatening self-harm?

ONLINE SOLICITATION & HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  1. Polarisproject.org
  2. Endsexualexploitation.org

Conversation starters:

  1. What can you do to decrease your vulnerability?
  2. What can we do to decrease the growth of trafficking?
  3. What do you think about the way society treats victims?
  4. How does social media help a recruiter?
  5. Are pornography & human trafficking related?

drugs and Alcohol

      1. drugabuse.gov

Conversation starters:

  1. What are the risks of Juuling or vaping?
  2. As marijuana becomes legal in more states, does that make it seem safer?
  3. What would you do if you were at a party and your friend was unconscious after binge drinking?
  4. If a friend offers you ____________, and you don't want to do it, what would you say? What would make it hard to say no?
  5. What can we do to make it easier for you to say no?

If someone is unconscious due to binge drinking, that is a medical emergency. Please call 911. 

PORNOGRAPHY

  1. FightTheNewDrug.org

Conversation Starters:

  1. Do you feel like pornography represents a real relationship? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think are the long-term consequence of using porn to learn about sex and/or relationships?

Removing Yourself from Difficult Situations

 At Truth, Facts & Lies, we believe every teen needs to have a plan to remove themselves from uncomfortable situations. With this is mind, we encourage parents to help their teen develop these strategies. Have these conversations when your teen is calm and not currently in the stressful situation. We tell parents, don’t try to teach your child to swim while they are drowning. Give them scenarios about bullying, dating abuse, drinking, etc and let them talk through what they would do in that situation. Ask them what would make it difficult to actually take that course of action and what can you do to help them. Help them develop an exit strategy that THEY are comfortable using if they are at a party or social situation that is dangerous or beyond their comfort zone.