Parents' Guide to

TextED

By Susan Yudt, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Texting safety site serves up smart, teen-friendly advice.

Website http://www.texted.ca
TextED Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

mrpepple
mrpepple Parent of 9, 10 and 12-year-old
April 15, 2019
age 13+

website has changed

texted.ca now redirects to needhelpnow.ca which is about teens online safety, particularly sex and relationships
American-Dad
American-Dad Parent of 10 and 13-year-old
March 7, 2011
age 12+

Good Texting Advice

This site is endorsed by the Canadian Center for Child Protection and Cybertip Canada (which protects kids from online sexual exploitation). It has a positive overall message and their intention is to properly educate kids about the do's and don'ts of texting. They offer kids real life scenerios to see how they would respond to questionable or inappropriate texts. It is very much like a texting training ground, and it is done in a clean and unthreatening manner. Some of the older more seasoned kids may find this site boring, but it still can offer help. I recommended it for kids who are just getting cell phones as a guide of what to do and what not to do when texting.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (7):

Canada’s TextED takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the potential pitfalls of texting. In addition to covering basic safety, privacy, and legal concerns, the site delves deep into what it means to be a good friend and what qualities are important in healthy relationships. (The bottom line is respect.) There’s a good mix of expert advice and activities that encourage teens to reflect on the consequences of certain behaviors and share their experiences. As a result, the site gets its messages across without sounding preachy or using scare tactics.

Online interaction: Users can submit comments, but they're moderated before being posted. Comments are generally positive and helpful.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about guidelines for cell phone use and texting. What's the right age to get a cell phone? What's a reasonable amount of time to spend on it? Our Cell Phone Tips breaks down the issues by age.

  • Families can talk about texting gone wrong. What would you do if someone was harassing you or spreading gossip about you? Have you ever spilled a friend's secrets or bullied someone?

Website Details

  • Genre: Civic Engagement
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: November 5, 2015

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