Are social networking sites an impediment to your child’s success?

A significant amount of students’ time is spent on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Students update their status and view others’ comments several times a day. That is exactly the problem. Rather than doing homework, students often find themselves spending loads of time chatting with friends online, taking silly quizzes, playing virtual games, and reading status updates. If kids don’t show self-discipline, their use of social networking sites can hurt grades.

These sites are not to blame; some students are allowing themselves to become very distracted. Avoiding homework is easy when there is such an attractive and available alternative. That’s why it is imperative that students prioritize, set goals, and use organization and time management skills wisely. As the first half of the school year comes to a close, ask your child what goals s/he has and how you can help them to find success. It may not be social networking sites that are distracting your child, but rather television or video games. Use the winter break to discuss these topics with your child.