Q: I overheard my son telling his friend to message him on Path. What is Path and should I be concerned? A: Good question and hats off to you for paying attention to what your kids are doing online. Path is a new(er) social network app specifically designed for smart phones. It allows users to keep Read more…
There are more sites growing in popularity in social network paradise and you may have even experienced first-hand. Our teens are giving Facebook a wide berth and investing their time in other ‘hip’ sites such as Instagram and Snapchat. Facebook even recently admitted that ’some of our users have reduced their engagement with Facebook in Read more…
Does your child show symptoms of the latest digital affliction? Does she experience anxiety, an increased heart rate, diminished attention span, and sporadic outbursts of crying or anger while she waits for her next text? Far from official, we’ve decided to call this highly annoying—albeit treatable— condition “great texpectations.” That’s right. It’s the feeling of Read more…
Sometimes I wish there was a comprehensive handbook given to every parent when they leave the hospital with their new bundle. A real ‘how-to’ guide that provided concrete, black and white rules that you simply needed to implement to have a stress free experience with your child. How I wish!! But instead we have to Read more…
A new trend in Instagram is user generated beauty contests and it has to be one of the most concerning trends of 2013. Within a short space of time, Instagram has become so much more than a platform for sharing harmless snapshots of pets and holidays. Now there are online beauty contests that encourage teen Read more…
Don’t get between your kids and the Internet! Plugged in through all manner of devices, your child is constantly active online, divulging every detail of his or her life. To a generation raised on reality TV, it comes as second nature to share location-based status updates, post photos and videos to public networks, play interactive Read more…
In a fantasy world, children (of all ages) would tell their parents everything. “I am not really sick today – I really just want to catch up on some TV!” “Erica isn’t just my study mate – she is my girlfriend and we have been together for 6 months!’ “I know I am only 12 Read more…
Last year McAfee undertook some quite revealing research into the online behaviour of Aussie teens. Entitled ‘The Secret Life of Teens ‘ this research report taught us that 95% of our teens are accessing Facebook daily, 31% have broken the law through piracy and a shocking 6% have met up with a stranger they met Read more…
Communicating with tweens and teens can be super challenging. Some prefer to simply grunt, others go with the monosyllabic strategy and the rest will only speak if it’s about food! I find that I really only have a few minutes a day to share ‘key agenda items’ with my teen boys and it is usually Read more…
Like all doting daughters, I adore my mother. However, I have to confess – I haven’t yet purchased her well-deserved Mother’s Day gift. But I am not short of gift suggestions, no way. In fact, I have an inbox full of emails offering me fabulous gift options from knives to nighties. So all is well, Read more…