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Digital Royalty's Amy Jo Martin On Kids And Social Media: From Education To Personal Branding
Digital Royalty CEO and social media expert Amy Jo Martin answers your questions about kids in the digital age.
Photo: Jill Richards
by Anjali Mullanyon May 23, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Your children are already creating their digital footprint, which will have an enormous impact on their future: where they get admitted to college or where they get a job, for example. Social media can help your children find likeminded individuals--including influential mentors--who can help them achieve their long-term goals. Educated parents can help their children build a positive personal brand now--but how?
Digital Royalty CEO Amy Jo Martin will answer your questions right here on Friday, May 24th at 1:30pm (E.T.).
To submit your questions to Amy Jo, use the "Make a comment" box below--or tweet your questions in with the hashtag #creativeconversations!
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Here's Amy Jo Martin talking about about using technology and real-time feedback as part of Fast Company's 30 Second MBA series. -
Hi everyone! We're pleased to have Amy Jo Martin, CEO of Digital Royalty, joining us here today. Fast Company readers might know Amy Jo from her previous work on Fast Company, including her popular social media article last fall about Dwayne Johnson, a.ka. The Rock -- or DJ, as Amy Jo calls him. Amy Jo, who has over 1.2 million Twitter followers, is well-known not only as the founder of Digital Royalty, but also as an author and for her social media expertise -- she speaks frequently on the topic across the country.
The media is constantly bemoaning the dangers social media holds for children and teens, but there are benefits, too--and it's important for parents to be aware that the digital footprint kids are creating now will live with them the rest of their lives, as they apply for college and as they apply for jobs. Amy Jo is here to answer your questions on the topic -- to submit your questions, use the "Make a comment" box on this page". Over to you, Amy! -
Hello, everyone! It's great to be here with you today. Great discussion ahead!
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How can teenagers build relationships with mentors using social media -- how do you actually get those people to respond and have meaningful conversations with a young person?
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Great question. Teens can search for specific individuals using social communication. Twitter and LinkedIn are especially good platforms for building relationships. For example, if you know the person's name you're targeting -- like a college admissions counselor, possible mentor, HR recruiter -- find them on one of those platforms and start following and listening. The key is to listen first. Then, blend into the conversation versus interrupting the existing conversation. Start the dialogue just as you would in person. If you don't know their name, search for the company or school they're with first within Google and add "Twitter" or "LinkedIN" to the search. From there, you'll start identifying individuals and see who they're following.
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What is a kid supposed to do if they turn 18 and realize they've made a fool of themself on social media? How do you reverse the damage?
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The key is preventing that situation, which is why we've developed classes to use social communication in the proper way. (Digital Royalty University), If you're already in that situation you can go in and untag yourself. Focus on identifying your value and start posting things that highlight your strengths. You can delete content but it's never really gone, so instead focus on the future.
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Hi Amy - My wife and I are really challenged with a 14 yr old that's seemingly addicted to his laptop and gaming - specifically Minecraft? He would stay up all night online if we didn't force him otherwise. We plan to lock-up the laptops for the Summer but don't want to stifle his creativity relative to the digital world, either... Our other son (13) has the ability to disengage when we say 'stop' and we don't want to penalize him. Any suggestions for us?
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Start a family Digital Detox initiative. You can start small with dinner, an afternoon, etc. Make the digital detox fun and 'gamify' it by having everyone put their devices into one place (or in the middle of the family dining room table during dinner) and the first person to crack and grab their phone has to pay (do chores, sing in front of the family, clean the dishes, etc). This can be done with groups of kids too. If they invite friends over, the rule is no technology. Encourage it as a group and make it fun.
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Check out Amy Jo's social media tips for parents:
* Start with an assessment
* Educate yourself and your child
* Think longterm
* Talk through the pros and the cons -
Here's a study that just came out about kids and social media by PEW Research: www.pewinternet.org
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Branding a child is asking them to have a convo with the world before they've even developed a voice. @AmyJoMartin #creativeconversationsby Spincushion via twitter 5/24/2013 5:49:10 PM -
This is exactly why parents need to be educated. The kids are already using social media whether we like it or not. As a parent, you can help shape and guide them. What they do now could impact them in the future. This is happening and there's no stopping these kids from using social platforms. We have to accept it and focus on the benefits as well as prevent negative
situations through education. -
Be sure to check out Amy Jo's piece in Fast Company today: The Truth About Kids And Social Media. Here's an excerpt:
"Imagine a college admissions recruiter evaluating two applicants side by side. They both look the same on paper. They shine academically, with impressive transcripts, essays, and SAT scores. Both have an extensive list of extracurricular activities and outstanding recommendation letters.
The difference is Applicant A has a large social following of Twitter followers and Facebook friends which they’ve used proactively to connect with future professors, industry leaders, and executives at companies. They’ve already built a network of people who they are sharing valuable content with, allowing their strengths to shine. You are able to get a genuine understanding of the applicant by seeing how Applicant A engages with their followers and posts about the issues he/she is passionate about.
Applicant B may have a social media presence (what college-age kid doesn’t?), but never took the time to fully develop it and turn it into an asset by having a “neutral” (read: a non-keg-stand) avatar photo, removing inappropriate language, and posting information that spotlights passions and strengths.
As the college admissions recruiter, you can only choose one. Who would you choose? In this case, Applicant A’s wise use of social media gives him/her an edge over an otherwise perfect Applicant B." -
Digital Royalty University has an online class about Teen Personal Branding which will launch June 12th. Please email learn@TheDigitalRoyalty.com and we will send you a promo code to access this class.
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Do you think there will be any far reaching consequences for the underage kids who are using FB and Instagram in terms of them now being 'digitally older' than they really are?
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If kids lie about their age they're not benefiting from the built-in security features of those platforms. Do I think they'll legally get in trouble? Not anytime soon. There isn't a way to manage this yet. However, what they do will impact their personal brand and obviously that can have a longterm impact.
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This is where you should start as a parent if you're wanting to increase your knowledge before you address the situation with your kids and social media: digitalroyaltyuniversity.com
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Also, we have a tool kit for Parents and teens using social media that will be available June 12th. Please email learn@TheDigitalRoyalty.com and we will send you a promo code to access this class.
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RT @mezzanine76 : @FastCompany According to my son, nearly a quarter of his kindergarten class has a FB account. #creativeconversationsby AmyJoMartin via twitter 5/24/2013 6:00:22 PM -
While this may seem extreme, there's a trend here. Kids are starting to use technology before they walk. Example: Here’s a scenario to consider. A few weeks ago, my team and I had 40 third graders come to the Digital Royalty office. They asked us questions and we asked them questions. When we asked how many of the third graders were either on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, more than half raised their hands. Facebook has a minimum age restriction of 13 years old to create an account. But according to Consumer Reports, last year 78% of parents helped create their children’s Facebook pages and 7.5 million users are under the age of 13 and lied about the age associated with the account.
After getting into a discussion with the third graders, we learned that several of them had abandoned their Facebook accounts because that’s where their parents were. They knew that the adult powers that be are a hop, skip, and a click away from monitoring the kid’s accounts on Facebook. The third-grade solution was to hop from Facebook to Instagram (which, ironically, Facebook also owns). In some cases, kids said they created new, rogue Facebook accounts where they connected with their friends and used their old ones as a decoy for parental supervision. -
I have a six year old son in grade one who is developing his school "reputation". We've often had conversations about how his actions on the playground can affect how peers and teachers react to him. Similar skills to the social media play ground perhaps?
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Yes. It's important that kids realize they are accountable for what they post and how they behave. Just as they're accountable for how they behave at recess or in school. The virtual world isn't an excuse to hide behind a keyboard or phone. If kids realize this could impact their ability to get their dream job or into college, they might think twice before posting.
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Do you use or recommend any software that can be related to restricting use on the internet to specific programs / educational material for younger children? I think technology is a fantastic tool for learning if it is used properly, but I want to restrict some aspects of the internet -especially during specific times of the day- where I don't want him playing or watching "junk" ... in order to guide his learning.
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The online class we're launching on June 12th will have step-by-step demos (on the computer and phone) of how to adjust settings to protect your kids. Additionally, the class explains and demonstrates how kids can benefit using social media. Please email learn@TheDigitalRoyalty.com and we will send you a promo code to access this class.
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Younger and younger children are experiencing psychological problems caused by self-conciousness, is it ethical to another concern, 'personal branding' to that pile?
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I hear you. However, social media is a way to highlight strengths and build confidence as well. Everyone has a personal brand, it already exists. The key is to take control of it and learn how to use it as an asset.
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starting which age should we educate our children and beginning with which media?
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That's the parent's decision. You know your child best and you have the relationship with them. It's important that you're confident that they understand the benefits and the risks.
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Amy Jo on leveraging social networking -- "Your personality is your biggest differentiating factor...Humans connect with humans, not logos."
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Here's an example of a teen who embraced social communication at a very young age and he's benefited from his efforts: Lane Sutton
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Here's a free online video class that touches on everything I've learned about social communication over the past five years: digitalroyaltyuniversity.com
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That's all the time we have with Amy Jo today -- thanks so much to all of you who joined us today and to Amy Jo, of course -- lots of food for thought. If your question didn't get answered, don't worry -- Amy Jo is on Twitter @amyjomartin. Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!
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Thank you all for your time and questions! Feel free to ask more via Twitter I'm AmyJoMartin. Once again, please email learn@TheDigitalRoyalty.com and we will send you a promo code to access the Teen Personal Branding tool kit which launches June 12th.
[Photo: Reinhard Hunger for Fast Company]