Highlights Cyber predators are having an easier time finding targets in the current environment. Parents may miss signs that their kids are in trouble because they assume their children are safe at home. Parental monitoring software is one tool parents can use to keep their kids safe from predators during the lockdown. There are plenty of inconveniences that have come along because of strict COVID-19 lockdowns. But at least parents whose kids are stuck at […]
Webwatcher
147 posts
Highlights: Bullying can cause an instant reaction, but it can also lead to long-term problems for the bullied child. About 1 in 5 children experience bullying. That’s a high enough number that all parents should be on the lookout for signs that their child is being bullied. Bullying is connected to not just one, but a number of mental health symptoms and conditions. The sooner a mental health condition is recognized and treated or managed, the […]
Highlights Parents need to learn to recognize the signs that their child is bullying. They aren’t always obvious. All children need to talk about bullying with their parents. Parents should treat their children with kindness and respect and model kindness and respect for others. Good behavior should be reinforced and encouraged. Parents can learn a lot by keeping an eye on their child’s social life and online activities. Bullied or Bullying? No one wants their […]
Overview: According to one survey, 73 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds reported having been victims of school bullying in their lifetimes, and 34 percent have experienced cyberbullying. Thirty-two percent of respondents reported bullying others. This article discusses behavioral changes that may signal that a teen is being harassed or harassing others online and what parents can do to stop or prevent online bullying. Cyberbulling Definition: When someone repeatedly threatens, harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another person (on […]
Overview: Teens who regularly use online platforms should be careful about what they post. Many types of online activity can work against them when they’re ready to apply to colleges or get that first full-time job. Parents can help their teens understand that most online activity is permanent, even if they delete every questionable post on their platforms. There are steps teens can take to clean up their social media presence, but it’s nearly impossible to […]
Highlights: LGBTQ youth generally spend more time online than their heterosexual peers. The Internet offers safe spaces for teens who identify as sexual minorities to interact with peers and find supportive communities where they “fit in.” At the same time, LGBTQ teens are three times more likely to be bullied online than heterosexual peers. Parental monitoring software, when used judiciously, can alert a parent to signs of trouble for their teens. The Internet Can Be a Safe […]
Highlights Teens are using dating apps designed for them but also apps created for adults, sometimes falsifying their birth dates. Dating apps are generally unsafe for teens, allowing them to connect with others who may be lying about their ages, including sexual predators. Parents should talk with their teens about the dangers of meeting people online and setting up meetings with strangers. Parents may want to consider parental monitoring software to keep their teens safe […]
Smartphones have become vital to everyday life. And not just adult lives – teenagers and even younger children have their own phones and use them for a wide variety of daily activities, from communicating with friends to entertaining themselves. However, giving your child a smartphone allows them full access to the web, and there’s also no question that there are a lot of sites on the internet that simply aren’t appropriate for children. If you […]
Children of all ages use smartphones and tablets to talk to their friends, entertain themselves, and even for schoolwork. While not all parents agree on how young is too young to start using devices, most do agree that at some point, children need to have and use digital devices. However, children and teenagers are not adults. There are inherent risks in giving a child a device that’s able to access the entire internet. You probably […]
This fall, the back-to-school season went a little differently than usual for most families. Rather than returning to their classrooms with their bookbags and school supplies, many children logged onto a Zoom call from their home computers instead. Thanks to COVID-19, returning to brick and mortar school just wasn’t an option for a lot of families, and even some families who had the option opted not to send their children back to school for safety […]
While many parents and educators are concerned about the effect of a lot of screen time on children, many were relieved to pivot to online learning and online entertainment as a way to make sure that kids get education and socialization while staying safe and healthy during a pandemic. Living in the internet age has some real advantages. But it also has some real downsides, and it may be that the increased use of internet-connected […]
Halloween is meant to be scary in a fun way, but parents have a lot of real, not-so-fun reasons to be scared on Halloween. The whole point of trick-or-treating is to solicit candy from strangers – what if your child receives tainted candy? Or eats something they’re allergic to? What if they’re walking in the road and get hit by a car? What if they’re accosted by bullies? If you have slightly older children, you […]
Sexting is one of those things that previous generations may not have had to spend a lot of time worrying about, but today’s parents are very concerned with it. Learn about the legal implications of sexting among teenagers in this post. What is Sexting? Sexting is what it’s called when people send risqué texts, photos, and videos to each other. Partners in a long-distance relationship, for example, might send partially or fully nude photos and […]
If you have a teenager who has a cell phone, you’re probably accustomed to seeing them taking a selfie, texting rapidly to their friends, or laughing at a video that someone has shared with them. This is the way that most teens communicate with their friends and peers in the digital age. However, while there’s nothing wrong with innocent texts, selfies, and videos, all of this digital communication does have a darker side. Cell phones […]
Have you heard of the ice bucket challenge? How about the cinnamon challenge? Online challenges can have a wide reach and they seem primed to get teenagers involved. Teens tend toward impulsiveness and often crave attention, and online challenges appeal to both of those characteristics. Some online challenges are fairly harmless and may even support a good cause. Others, however, can be dangerous. Take a look at what you need to know about the different […]