Okay, teens, it may be time to take the wheel—away from your parents. That’s according to a recent survey by conducted by AT&T and published in USA Today. The survey found that 49% of adult drivers admit to texting behind the wheel compared to 43% of teens in the survey that admitted the same. Why are Read more…
Getting your kids’ Facebook updates sent to your phone via SMS (text) is easy, smart, and a great way to increase “teachable moments” to reinforce digital safety and online etiquette. Here are 3 steps you need to get started now: 1. First activate mobile texts for your phone if you haven’t done so already. You can go Read more…
1. Your kids need online social networks. You may be dreading the day your child turns 13 since all she wants for her birthday is her long-awaited Facebook account. And you may even decide to hold out a few more years before allowing her to open one. Your fear of the web, and people, gaining Read more…
We recently visited a public school and spoke to a group of Junior High students ages 13-14 about the dangers of sexting. When we asked the girls in the room how many of them ever had a boy ask them to send a provocative or nude photo of themselves over their phones, we were shocked to Read more…
We talk a lot about cyber bullying on this blog—how to equip kids handle it and how we can work together to prevent it. But what if your child is the cyberbully? Common statistics claim that nearly 50 percent of kids polled admit they’ve been the targets of online bullies. On the flip side of Read more…
In case you were wondering, wonder no longer. Yes, someone will Google your child. And it will matter. Be it a scholarship committee, a potential employer, a teacher, or a hoped-for University, your child’s digital footprint will be gathered and judged sooner or later. It’s hard to accept that while your child should be carefree Read more…
Just when you thought you had Facebook, Twitter, and that Instagram-thingy down, several more social networks have emerged. While it’s unknown if any can stand up to the giants, it’s important to stay in the know as a parent and recognize these new online meeting places. With more and more teens making an exodus from Read more…
There’s so much to monitor but so little time. If staying aware of the digital roads your kids travel feels like a full time job—don’t worry—that means you are doing something right! It’s the blessing-curse of the 21st century that with the immeasurable benefits of technology comes even more responsibility. While there will likely always Read more…
With more and more teens fleeing Facebook for more “parent free” social zones, alternatives such as Snapchat have become popular connection tools. Snapchat is a picture and video texting app that allows users to take photo snapshots (or “snaps”) and videos that the app will then make “vanish” after ten seconds. In essence, “snaps” replace Read more…
Can Facebook really put a ding in your self-esteem? According to a recent study—yes. In the study, conducted by Humboldt University in Berlin and Technical University in Darmstadt, German researchers found that of the 600 Facebook users polled, a third (one in three) of the respondents reported feeling negative after being on Facebook. Constantly seeing Read more…