ScreenRetriever’s Online Safety Blog
Start the New Year By Being a Proactive Online Safety Parent!
What was your New Year’s resolution? I hope you resolved to be a proactive online safety parent! Proactive preventive actions are directed towards a potential problem in the future. They help prevent a problem from ever happening. Parents prevent harm to their children everyday in many ways. Electric outlet covers are installed to prevent little fingers and other objects from being inserted into an exposed electrical outlet. Bicycle helmets are worn to prevent head injury when children ride their bikes. Mom makes sure the bathtub water isn’t too hot to protect against burning and makes sure there is a mat on...
read moreTween/Teen Check-List for Computer Use
Does Your Tween or Tween Have a Check-List for Computer Use? Before your new young driver hits the road at 16, you as their parent instill the value of a mental check-list before your child pulls out of the driveway. Seat-belt on √, cellphone put away √, seat adjusted √, mirrors adjusted √, driver’s license √, plenty of gas √ etc. Driving requires a great deal of responsibility and awareness to make sure the experience is a safe one. When kids log-on to the computer, parents also need to instill a kind of check-list. Site child is visiting is safe and parent approved √; child is old...
read moreTeach Your Tweens and Teens to Create Strong Passwords for their Social Networking Accounts
Two Million passwords to Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo accounts were recently stolen. The most common password was revealed to be “123456”. Really?? Having an easy-to-figure-out-password puts individuals at risk for having their personal information compromised and could lead to identity theft. In this digital age, it’s important to take security and privacy seriously in order to protect personal information on all of your accounts. This means having strong and different passwords on each account and putting your personal passwords in a safe location that only you can...
read moreDon’t Let Your Teen’s Use of Computer Devices Take Over Their Life or Yours!
Please, put your cellphone away! Last evening we sat down to play a game of Apples to Apples for a bit of family time. (love this game!) We were all laughing and very engaged until my daughter picked up her smartphone and became glued to it. Finally, I asked her to put it away. She did, begrudgingly in a way that only teens can do. How do you get teens to part with their computer devices for family time or simply face to face time? There is no doubt that it’s hard to set boundaries with teens. And as a parent especially when you’re playing a game and trying to have fun, you can feel like the bad guy...
read moreKids have Gone Mobile! What are some of the most popular T-Apps and TW-Apps for tweens and teens today?
Tweets, Pheeds, Snaps… There’s no doubt that it’s hard for a parent to keep up with which mobile T-App or Tw-App their tween or teen is using today on their smartphone! But in today’s rapidly changing digital world, it’s important for parents to be aware of the Apps kids are using, many of which have age restrictions, may expose a child to adult content and privacy risks. Parents are the 1st line of defense when it comes to Online Safety! Instagram: An online photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that allows its users to take pictures and...
read moreFacebook’s New Privacy Settings May Put Children/Teens At Risk!
Do You Know About the New Facebook Privacy Changes for Teens? Teens ages 13-17 will now be able to post publicly if they choose instead of having just “friends” or “friends of friends” see their posts. As we all know, we’re not just talking about kids ages 13-17. There are at least 7.5 Million kids under 13 years old on Facebook according to a 2011 survey; that number is probably much higher now. Facebook’s spin is that, “Teens are among the savviest people using social media, and whether it comes to civic engagement, activism, or their thoughts on a new movie, they want to be heard. So,...
read more“Parenting Online” is Crucial to Stop Cyberbullying!
There is no more compelling reason for parents to “Parent Online”, and to know how their child is behaving online, than Rebecca Sedwick, a young twelve year old girl who jumped to her death on September 10th. Rebecca was relentlessly cyberbullied by as many as fifteen girls for over a year. One horrific cyberbullying remark to Rebecca was, “drink bleach and die.” Rebecca changed schools, her Facebook account was deleted but the cyberbullying followed her. That is one of the hallmarks that separated traditional play ground bullying from cyberbullying; there is no escape and it can be...
read moreHacking, Webcams and Sextortion!
Miss Teen USA’s computer was hacked, then nude images were taken via her webcam. Cassidy Wolf was completely unaware that this was going on and that the hacker was watching her in the privacy of her bedroom. She was then threatened with sextortion if she didn’t comply with the hacker’s requests. The hacker sent her a message that said this according to a CNN report, “Either you do one of the things listed below or I upload these pics and a lot more (I have a LOT more and those are better quality) on all your accounts for everybody to see and your dream of being a model will be...
read moreA Sweet, Little Girl is the Victim of Cyberbullying
To Stop Cyberbullying, Parents need to “Parent Online!” A little girl, only five years old who has a rare, genetic and ultimately fatal disease has become the target of cyberbullies. (Watch Video) What has happened to civilized behavior in this country? Where are the parents of these cyberbullies? Are they paying any attention to what their kids are doing and how they’re behaving online? The first responsibility to prevent cyberbullying lies with parents, not schools, not Facebook, not the government – Parents! Facebook can’t do it. They have no recourse because this little girl has...
read moreHide and Seek, the Game Kids are Playing with Their Parents Online!
Many Parents Have No Idea What Their Kids Are Doing Online! A new study has rocked the Internet safety world. Very sadly, many parents are absolutely clueless about what their kids are doing online. Some parents find technology so difficult to understand that they simply throw up their hands and do nothing. Some parents live in complete denial and don’t believe their kids can get into trouble on the internet. Some parents trust their child to behave appropriately online and to stay away from “bad” content. Kids Are Hiding What They Do Online From Their Parents How many parents have walked into a...
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