Mobile phone technology is amazing isn’t it? It’s so amazing it can track your child’s location (hey, they are called ‘smart phones’ for a reason). In fact, your family is likely uploading dozens of photos a week and inadvertently broadcasting your exact whereabouts. Both safety and privacy is put at risk each time your child Read more…
Loving a superhero is a rite of passage. Whether it is Batman, Invisible Woman or The Hulk, every child wants to feel like they can do some good and ‘flex’ a little muscle power. And with digitally connected devices available on tap and the recent rebirth of Superheroes thanks to movies such as X Men Read more…
It’s that time of year again. You head out to the store to buy a truckload of number two pencils and color-coded binders along with a flood of other dazed parents who can’t believe school is back in session. So you pretty much know what is in your child’s backpack but do you know who Read more…
It’s not often you can get a response from the folks at Twitter. Of course, you are welcome to ask, complain, or raise concerns. The online social network grew so quickly and so powerfully over the past six years, its likely many concerns from users got lost in the Twittersphere . . . forever. Freedom Read more…
It’s a small loophole but one that definitely poses a threat to your child’s online safety. While your child is able set her Instagram account settings to private and only accept “followers” and “friends” she knows, her Instagram bio is still public by default and short of deleting it altogether, there’s no way to hide it. Read more…
Since summer vacation is coming to an end, I am bracing myself for all the new things my two girls will be doing, plus the new activities and connections us parents add to our crazy lives these days. As we pick out first day dresses and get our pencils sharpened, this is the perfect time for Read more…
Anonymity affords a precarious, irresistible power to teens online. Ask.fm is one app that’s exploding in popularity by allowing users to ask and answer questions to one another anonymously. While Ask.fm is used by many teens as a digital playground to flirt and just have fun (and confess crushes), the lack of a name or Read more…
Parents are without a doubt their children’s most important role models. The way we interact with our friends, the way we deal with problems and the language we use all become our children’s subconscious ‘how-to’ guide. Of course, none of us are perfect – although don’t tell the kids that! We all make mistakes and Read more…
Somehow the word ‘stalking’ has folded into the teen (and even adult) vernacular to mean someone who is annoying on social media but really isn’t a threat. ‘Stalker’ has gradually become more of a lighthearted term to describe someone online who pays ‘extra special’ attention to your social profiles and at worst, is annoying. Its Read more…
Last night I sat next to my teenage son as he played video games. It did not take long before I was abruptly reminded that he and I may look like fellow humans but we are definitely from two very different planets. I also learned that there’s a possibility that at times I may (stress Read more…