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 […]
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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 […]
It’s a moral quandary for the modern age: should you read your child’s text messages, or let them have their privacy? It’s not a question that all parents agree on. While some parents blithely assert that since they pay for the phones and have responsibility for the child, they’re entitled to read anything they like, others just as vehemently argue in favor of their own children’s rights to privacy. And of course, many parents fall […]
There are lots of think pieces and opinions on when a child gets a smartphone or other type of mobile device. Some argue for a particular age, while others focus more on a child’s maturity level and the family’s needs. Some advocate starting out with a tablet or a flip phone instead of a smartphone. But the reality is, at some point, you’re probably going to decide it’s in your child’s best interest to have […]
Do you know what a digital footprint is? Does your teen? The most important thing to know about a digital footprint is that it can have serious repercussions on any and all areas of your life, or your teen’s life. It can impact their academic standing, their college acceptance, their job prospects, their social life, their safety, and more. As the parent of a teen, it’s up to you to teach them how to understand […]
Screen time addictions are real. Children, teenagers, and even adults find themselves sucked into the glow of their smartphone, laptop, or tablet screens for hours on end. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do to help your child navigate in a world that’s addicted to technology. Tech Addiction is Real There’s always more content to look at – content that amuses, content that agitates, content that educates, but most […]
If you’re the parent of a teenager, you know how difficult it can be to keep up with what they’re doing online and with the apps on their phones. But even though it’s difficult, it’s important to do your best to be aware of what your teen is doing online and what’s happening in their digital lives, because those activities can have serious impacts on their offline life as well. ASKfm is both an app […]
The possibility of children and teens being approached by predatory adults has always been a concern for parents, and since the advent of the internet, online predators have been a concern as well. But in today’s world, children are online nearly as soon as they can hold a phone in their hands, and by late elementary school or middle school, much of their social life is taking place online. Is it safer now, or more […]
If you want to know what your teenager is up to, their phone might be the best place to find clues. After all, a large portion of a teen’s social life takes place via text, social media apps, and instant messaging apps. Teens also document much of what they do in pictures, and those pictures are often saved on smartphones and shared via smartphones. But if your teen is worried that you might discover behavior […]
With schools closed down and families confined to their homes except for essential business, a lot of people are bored. It’s not just children and teenagers who are looking for distraction and entertainment online, but children and teenagers are potentially more at risk of ending up in a bad situation because of their online activities. While parents may be relying on apps and the internet to connect their children with their schools, their friends, and […]
Discord is an app that allows users to set up their own servers where they can chat with their friends or with others who share their interests. The site is most popular with online gamers, but there are also a number of other types of interests represented among Discord’s many servers. There are servers set up to function as online book clubs, fan groups for television shows or podcasts, and science discussions, to name a […]
According to a 2019 survey, over half of the children in the United States have a smartphone by the age of eleven, and 84% of teenagers have their own smartphones. That means that when parents are thinking about how to monitor their children’s internet use and communication, they need to think in terms of mobile devices, not just computers and laptops. And it’s not just internet communications that can be a concern, it’s SMS text […]
Monitoring your child’s internet and smartphone use can be an important part of keeping them safe. Parental monitoring can be the best way to find out if your teen is engaging in risky behavior, being bullied, or dealing with peer pressure. But no parent has the time to monitor everything their teen does on the internet every single day. What’s more, most parents don’t want to. As your children get older, you’ll want to be able to […]
Parents often worry about the kinds of people their children may meet online, and for good reason. For a long time, parents have warned their children to avoid talking to strangers, but internet culture has made it much more commonplace and acceptable to get to know a stranger intimately before ever meeting them in person. It’s not unusual for people of all ages to make these kinds of connections and to be fair, sometimes they […]