Cyber Safety in the News
Instagram’s new feature protects users from unwanted images and videos in DMs
Instagram is launching a new feature that is designed to better protect users from unwanted images and videos in direct messages. Instagram says with these new restrictions, people will no longer receive unwanted images or videos from users they don’t follow, nor will strangers be able to message them repeatedly. This is a great step to protect the many students who use social media from predators.
Professors have an assignment: Prevent ChatGPT chaos in the fall
AI chatbots have triggered a panic among educators, who are flooding listservs, webinars, and professional conferences to figure out how to deal with the technology. Many educators are using AI in their classrooms for the first time this year to help lesson plan, create assignments and further help students with special needs or English as a second language. They are also possibly encountering students using ChatGPT within their assignments for the first time.
Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work. Besides coordinated dances and funny toddler comments, online family vlogs nowadays may share intimate details of their children’s lives like grades, potty training, illnesses, and misbehaviors for countless strangers to view. Now, those children will be paid for it.
China wants to limit minors to no more than two hours a day on their phones
China is proposing new measures to curb the amount of time that kids and teens can spend on their phones, as the country takes aim at internet addiction and tries to cultivate “good morality” among minors. It would restrict daily screen time to a maximum of two hours a day, depending on the age group. It is interesting to see what other countries are doing to combat screen time issues amongst minors as the US works to create legislation to tackle the same issues.
Parents Are Using Apple Airtags To Keep Track Of Their Kids, And To Hopefully Give Them More Freedom
Many parents and caregivers have recently turned to tracking devices to keep tabs on children old enough to wander away but too young for a phone. Trackers are being placed in backpacks, on bikes, or directly on kids for extra accuracy, and some parents sew them into jackets as an ever-increasing paranoia settles over our kids’ safety. So innovative!
Officials share school safety tips before posting photos of your child online
When it comes to your back-to-school pictures, law enforcement advises parents to not disclose their child’s information online. Keeping these tips in mind as you post can help eliminate predators from knowing personal information about your child and avoiding contact with them.