Category Archives: Family Safety

The App Your Kids are Using Now: Vine

      No Comments on The App Your Kids are Using Now: Vine

Parents, do you recall seeing the icon below on your child’s iPhone the last time you perused their apps? If so, then your child has an account on a popular mobile application called ‘Vine’. Vine, which is owned by Twitter, enables users to create and post video clips with a maximum length of seven and Read more…

New Apps Make It Easy to Save SnapChats

      No Comments on New Apps Make It Easy to Save SnapChats

The SnapChat smart phone app is one of the newest crazes for teens because it allows a user to send what they believe to be a very private and very temporary photo to another user (and if you use it just for fun with friends, it can be a blast). Because SnapChat (seen below, yellow icon) Read more…

Court: Being ‘Electronically Present’ Can Make You Liable

A recent ruling by the New Jersey Court of Appeals has sparked a nationwide debate over exactly who is liable when an accident is caused by a distracted driver. According national reports, the court considered the claim of two victims who both lost their legs when a texting teen driver ran into their motorcycle. While Read more…

If You Give A Hacker Your Email Address…

      No Comments on If You Give A Hacker Your Email Address…

Most parents and kids I speak to regarding online safety seem to have a bad case of the ‘it-will-never-happen-to-me’s.’ Stories of hacking and social engineering seem like far away ideas, or things that happen in a Spielberg movie, but not an everyday occurrence. I get it. In fact, I used to be one of these people. Read more…

5 Things Parents Should Stop Doing Online (Now)

It’s natural to talk with your children when you see them out in public. It’s a biological reaction to admire their talents, praise them publicly, and even wrangle their wayward behavior when it starts to stir. Just don’t do it online. Parents are wise online if they curb what comes naturally and consider exercising a Read more…

How To Remain Friends with Your Teen on Facebook

So, you’ve finally convinced your teen to accept your friend request. What an exercise! So, what now? Do you immediately like their every post and start to scan and post all their old baby photos on their wall? NO, YOU DO NOT!! Here are my top tips for remaining friends with your teen on Facebook. Read more…

Win for Families: Frat Loses Charter Over Facebook Posts

A quiet headline last week was a win for family safety online when a Florida fraternity lost its national charter for alleged slanderous and drug-related Facebook posts. Not only did the National arm of Pi Kappa Alpha, or Pike, disband the fraternity’s chapter but Florida International University, also ordered the fraternity to cease all meetings Read more…

1-2-3: How to take a screen shot on your computer or mobile phone

There are some simple moves online that can save you an enormous amount of time. And when it comes to reporting abuses online nothing comes in handier than a screen shot, which is simply a photo file image of what’s in front of you on your computer screen or mobile phone. Think of it as Read more…

Downloading the ‘Big 3 for Privacy’ to Your College-Bound Student

If your son or daughter is headed off to college this month, don’t shrink back on your commitment to family safety online. Being a college freshman at 17 or 18 doesn’t mean their wisdom download is at 100% complete (far from it). The words “privacy” and “dorm” don’t often show up in same sentence but Read more…

Teaching Kids to Be Bold About Their Privacy

Recently one of my daughter’s friends shared a silly (and unflattering) video of her on Snap Chat as she imitated a crazy dance they were both watching on a popular TV talent show. When my daughter told the friend “you better not post that!” the request was ignored. The 10-second video was sent to several Read more…