When is it safe for your children to start exploring social media apps? Many apps originally aimed at adults or older teenagers have begun to attract younger audiences. SnapChat is a prime example. Though originally made for adults, children as young as nine years old find SnapChat accessible and fun. But is it safe for them to use? Here’s what you need to know about children and pre-teens and their safety on SnapChat. How Does […]
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The Home Educators Resource Directory community helps home educators navigate their learning journey. Recently, we sat down with Mindy Lively, the owner and editor of the directory, to learn more about the state of homeschooling today as well as how homeschooling parents teach, socialize, and protect their kids. Tell us a bit about your background in homeschooling. Why did you decide to start a blog about this topic? I am a homeschool parent of two […]
If you have a teen with a smartphone, you know that texting and sending instant messages are important to your child’s social life. Because of the importance teens place on communicating this way, it’s possible that they’re using an app called WhatsApp to communicate with their friends. But is WhatsApp safe for your child to use? Here’s what you need to know about how WhatsApp works and whether or not it’s a safe app for […]
If you have a teenager who uses social media, the chances are good that they have an Instagram account. Instagram is a photo sharing site that allows users to upload pictures so that their friends can see and comment on them. The Instagram app can be downloaded onto any device, so your teens can view and share pictures from their phones or tablets. While sharing photos with friends may sound harmless, teens have been known […]
For many smartphone users, iPhones are the best or even the only option. Apple’s iPhones are appealing for any number of reasons, ranging from their design to their ease of use. One major feature of the iPhone is that users can only use apps available through the Apple store. For some users, this is a plus, making the phones easier to use and less prone to viruses and malware. However, other users see it as […]
Today’s parents not only have to keep tabs on where their children are going and who they’re hanging out with, they also have to know what their children and teenagers are doing online, and who they’re talking to on their mobile devices. This can be more difficult than you might think, which is why tools like smartphone monitoring software can be so helpful. However, the software that you buy is only as helpful as the […]
If you have a child or teen that uses the internet on a regular basis, you’ve probably taught them about the importance of choosing a secure password and protecting their personal information online. However, you may not have talked to them about the importance of choosing a safe screen name. You yourself may not realize just how revealing a screen name can be. Here are some tips on screen name safety that you should definitely […]
It’s not always easy to talk to your kids about cyberbullying, but it is important. Cyberbullying can have serious detrimental effects on your child’s mental and emotional well-being, and their social life. It can also be connected to physical bullying. And in some cases, cyberbullying has been linked to self-harm or suicide in teens. Talking to your children about cyberbullying can help prevent or minimize its harmful effects. Here are some tips for getting the […]
Limits on screen time are a hot topic in parent communities. There are many different ideas about how much screen time children should have and how that time should be used. After all, children can learn a lot from their various screens, from the television to the computer or laptop, to a mobile device like a tablet or phone. All of these formats offer educational games and programs, for instance, and there’s a good argument […]
If your child has a smartphone or mobile device, then they have access to a whole world of different apps that can be used to text, chat, and take, send, and receive photos. Chances are good that they use apps you’ve never even heard of. Some smartphone apps are useful and even educational, and some are just fun. Some, however, have hidden dangers that parent should know about. Take a look at a few of […]
Is your teenager accessing pornographic content online? Statistics show that it’s likely that they are. There are studies that show that around 60% of girls and 90% of boys are exposed to pornography under the age of 18. Even more unsettling for parents, the average age of a child’s first encounter with pornography is about 12. That means that if you’re waiting for your kids to hit high school age before you talk to them […]
It’s that time of year, and if you have kids, they’re probably already busily making their Christmas list… And if you have a tween or young teenager who doesn’t have one yet, it’s a good bet that at least one of the items on their list is a smartphone. There are a lot of reasons that a tween might want a smartphone, some practical and some not. As a parent, it’s your job to figure […]
If you or your child has ever been bullied, you already know that it’s a serious problem. Children who experience bullying can have problems in school, both academically and socially, and can even become depressed. Today’s children have to deal not just with the possibility of bullying in school or on the playground, but also with cyberbullying that can follow them into their homes and other places that should be safe havens. This can have […]
Laura McClellan is an attorney in a large Dallas law firm, and she also hosts The Productive Woman, a weekly podcast about productivity for busy women. We had a chance to sit down with Laura and hear her thoughts on motherhood, her growth as a person, and how to make sure that children are safe and loved. Why did you choose to start The Productive Woman? Two reasons, really. First, to share with other busy […]
There are few social media platforms that are as popular with today’s teens as Instagram. Everyone has a phone with a camera on it, and the stories of a teen’s life are told not in status updates, but largely in pictures. So it makes sense that a site exclusively dedicated to sharing pictures would be a big part of a teen’s online social circle. And unlike social media sites like Twitter, which is notorious for […]