Summer Time Parenting Online
What are you doing to Parent Online this summer? Summer vacation is starting around the country. Are you being mindful of your children, tween and teen’s online habits? Recently I was sitting right next to a family in a restaurant. This family comprised a Mom, Dad, a baby and a five year old. The little boy had his head down in a smartphone the entire lunch. Makes for a nice, quiet peaceful lunch, doesn’t it? But, all I could think of was what this little boy was looking at on this internet connected device? Were these parents sure that the content he was looking at was appropriate...
Read MoreLive Streaming Apps Lets Kids Share “In the Moment”
New Online Craze for Kids… Live Streaming is the latest fad, and may put kids at risk! What’s the latest online craze for kids? Live Streaming Apps. What is live streaming you ask? Kids simply point their smartphone cameras at whatever interests them (including themselves) and that video footage is transmitted over the Internet to other viewers. Living in the moment is what these apps are all about and one of the reasons why they’re so popular with tweens and teens today. Living in the moment, often impulsively, can put kids at risk for...
Read MoreTregedy Averted
This Potential Tragedy was Averted… “ A Colombine style attack”, that is what a teen threatened a school a few days ago only twenty-five minutes away from where I live, using the social media phone app, Whisper. This happened in a quiet, sleepy, picturesque town of less than 5,000 west of Boston, where working farms and apple orchards abound. The Nashoba regional high-school represents several towns in the area and has a student population of just over 1000. When I saw this article, I thought about just how important it is for parents to be aware of what their kids are posting online. Thank...
Read MoreISIS Recruiters Use Predator Grooming Tactics
ISIS Lures Teens on Social Media When kids go online, there are many risks, cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, damage to reputation and more. Now there is a new one to add to already crowded field, ISIS recruitment. Similar to the grooming tactics of online predators, ISIS recruiters also groom their victims. Grooming is the process by which trust is gained and a relationship is established. Many vulnerable adolescents may have no idea that they are being groomed. Adolescence is notoriously a time of turmoil, raging hormones and pushing away from parents to establish...
Read MoreCyber Basics
When was the last time you thought about these cyber basics? When was the last time that you talked to your child, tween or teen about them? Cyber Basics Computer devices are a privilege not a right Computer devices are powerful tools and need to be treated with caution and respect Every person’s online footprint begins at birth Privacy doesn’t exist in the cyber-world The delete key doesn’t make your cyber life disappear Think before posting anything online such as images and comments because they can impact future employment and other opportunities Treat...
Read MoreIs Your Teen Texting While Driving?
New Study About Distracted Driving Getting a driving license is a big deal to all teens. It spells freedom and independence! It can also spell danger if your teen is distracted while driving. Not surprisingly, teens have the highest car crash rate! Researchers at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that distracted driving by teens that resulted in car accidents is worse than originally thought. Researchers reviewed more than 1700 videos from in-vehicle-event-recorders that were placed inside the cars of teen drivers. They studied behaviors in the seconds prior to a crash. They found...
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