“Whaaaaaat?! No way! How did that happen?” My 12 year-old screeched from the couch, sat straight up, and locked shocked eyes on her phone. “What’s wrong?” I asked readying myself for some degree of bad news that was sure would follow. Was it a terrible accident? A fall out with a friend? A bad grade Read more…
Following the Boston Marathon tragedy this month, organizations such as Google leveraged technology to instantly connect people and assist in the logistics of the tragedy. No doubt, the Internet—which includes online news sites and social media platforms—is an increasingly popular and powerful channel to gather emergency information, coordinate resources, and give loved ones critical Read more…
With more teens flocking to social networks outside of Facebook, it’s more important than ever for parents to understand—and coach their kids—through the rapid-moving, drama-filled environment of Twitter. Twitter has become a hot spot for teens, many of whom view Tweets the same way they view texts. They tweet quickly and often. And, sometimes things Read more…
Many parents shudder at the thought. Some even experience a shortness or breath and heart palpitations when they imagine what might really happen if they took their teenager’s phone away as a consequence for poor choices. When you consider a teen’s sheer dependency on their phone for a social and emotional connection to their peers, Read more…
A new study from Pew Research Center shows that teens are sharing more and more personal information on social media sites than they have in the past. The study is a red flag when it comes to the issue of privacy and a nudge to parents to consistently guide their kids in this issue. For Read more…
It seems that every week a new online predator case hits the headlines and when interviewed the family of the victim often says, “I never in a million years thought this could happen in my home, to my child.” So how exactly does this happen? While it appears absurd to an onlooker, no one is exempt from Read more…
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…