Should young children have smartphones?
The holidays are upon us. What are you thinking about getting your young child? Kids are getting devices at earlier and earlier ages. According to a 2013 e-marketer survey – roughly two-thirds of kids between fourteen years old and seventeen years old own a smartphone. No surprise there, right? But you might be shocked to find out that the same survey of parents found that one in four kids two to five years old own a smartphone. That’s right… your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! Pretty amazing isn’t it? Personally I think that’s crazy. Clearly there is money to be made,...
Read MoreWhy You Shouldn’t Be a Helicopter Parent or Spy On Your Kids Online!
Helicopter parenting and spying are both bad ideas… Helicopter parents are those that don’t allow their child to make a move without being right there to protect them at every turn. They are overprotective and step in whenever their child faces a difficult situation, often inappropriately. This is the parent who tries to get a grade changed when their son or daughter gets a poor grade on a test or paper. They may talk to the coach when their child doesn’t get selected for a sports team. The parent believes they are helping their child when in reality their child never learns to handle life on...
Read MoreAre Online Risks Tilting the Scales?
Are Online Risks Tilting the Scales? Weight of Online Risks is Getting Heavier… Would you ever take your child into the heart of a major city and leave them unattended? Of course not! When kids go online via any computer device they are entering a borderless, unregulated world where they can engage with anyone across the globe. They are exposed to all kinds of content, good and bad. There is no doubt that today’s digital world has made parenting more challenging, but parents need to be engaged in their children’s online world just as they are their offline world. The Internet is...
Read MoreIs Your Tween or Teen Playing Hide and Seek with Apps?
Is your tween or teen playing hide and seek with apps? Many kids are getting smartphones at earlier and earlier ages. Did you know that Sprint has come out with a smartphone for 5 year olds! Personally I think this is crazy! Most parents say that they get their child a smartphone for safety reasons, so that they can be in touch with them in a nano-second. But isn’t safety and smartphones an oxymoron? After all the online world is hardly safe and is associated with all kinds of risks. Just today, the Department of Homeland Security launched a program to combat online predators, because...
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