Ahem, you may have heard that President Obama and the First Lady posted an anti-bullying video on Facebook this week as part of a new government initiative called StopBullying.gov. We here at SafeSocial can't think of a worthier cause for our Commander-in-Chief and his Better Half to support. In other words, hail to the relief we feel in having their aid. The end of cyberbullying may not be near yet, but with this type of national recognition, it definitely seems a lot closer than yesterday.

"Red Rover, Red Rover, please don't send Mom or Dad over to my Facebook page."

When it comes to whether or not teens should accept parents as Facebook friends, ParentDish sides with the teen camp in a recent article, which says a mom-and-dad-free Facebook philosophy is utterly and completely okay. Tough love (and tough noogies), indeed. SafeSocial, too, understands why both parents and teens may want to keep their online life from infiltrating their family life in a negative manner (and vice versa). That's why I'm writing this post, and why we've come up with our separate-but-still-safe social monitoring solution. You saw that plug coming from a mile away, didn't you?

Parents: Beware the updated relationship status

"How much is my boyfriend/girlfriend worth?" your teen asks himself/herself. "The price of an ornately decorated Build-A-Bear? A bottle of moderately priced cologne (from CVS)? A heavily discounted blanket with sleeves? Um, a box of nada?"

When it comes to your Facebook status updates, how much info is too much?

TMI – Too Much Information – is a common ailment that afflicts millions of teenage Facebook users. You name the topic, they're telling everybody and their brother about it. But surely this tell-all condition doesn't also pertain to parents who use Facebook, right?

Broaching the subject of social media with your teens

Ensuring the online safety of your teen starts with a healthy lecture conversation. Problem is, this talk can be even more taboo than "The Talk." So how can you even begin to go there without said teen running in the opposite direction (screaming, "Talk to the hand, because my Facebook page don't understand!")?

To approve or not to approve your parents using SafeSocial ...

That is the question, of course, but maybe it shouldn't be. Here are five reasons why you should take a deep breath and turn your thumbs-down right-side-up.

Different ages groups, different strategies

Like the scores of bullies who've harassed and belittled before them, modern-day cyberbullies seem reluctant to go away without – what else? – a fight. Sadder still, from K-12, no age group is necessarily safe from their unwanted advances.

So how do you, the concerned parent, know which protective tactic to use and when? SafetyClicks recently posted some age-group-specific cyberbullying tips originally compiled by commonsensemedia.org. Their bullying breakdown isn't a be-all, end-all solution to the problem, but you've gotta start somewhere.

When it comes to monitoring your teen online, how much is too much?

A recent article in USA Today extolled the virtues of talking to teens openly, honestly and regularly about their online extracurricular activities ... in an ideal world.

"What'cha doin'? Who you talkin' to? What's that say?"

In reality, if you're asking these questions to your teen while he/she is on the computer, you're more than likely getting one of the following responses:

Is this what your teen thinks of you?
In case you missed it, or just want to marvel at the comedic talents of Glee's Jane Lynch once more, check out this uproarious SNL clip, snipped from a recent episode by AOL Video for your viewing convenience.

Teens may be fleeing Facebook to avoid parents
Facebooking parents chasing away their embarrassed teens? Sounds like crazy talk, but that's exactly what's happening according to a recent blog entry on ParentDish, which cites several recent case studies of this mass exodus/textodus.

Could online activity come back to haunt your teen's college hopes?

ParentDish recently explored how inappropriate Facebook activity can hurt your teen's college chances, and it's a topic that's definitely worth spelunking down into again. Why?