What is that App? Keeping Up With Your Children

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Do you feel like you have no idea what your children are doing on their smartphones? When I carpool a group middle schoolers, I find that I cannot follow the ‘app speak’ language that they are using. Are they tweeting, snapping, chatting, following, etc? Just when I figure out what app they are talking about and constantly using, it has become yesterday’s news. Does this this sound familiar? Well, if it does, find comfort in the fact that you are in the same boat as most of us.

I will be posting blogs that provide you with a quick description of some of the more popular apps that our children are using. I will outline some of the risks associated with it and also some safety precautions that you can use to help protect your children.

Stay tuned for an introduction to SnapChat.

Why Internet Safety is Important

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I am officially waving the white flag. I surrender. I have finally come to the realization that I cannot keep up with my children’s online activities AND work, do the laundry, get dinner ready, oversee homework, etc. The breadth as well as the depth of online dangers are simply too great for one person to police without help. And, I am not just talking about internet predators, but also cyberbullying, sexting, and the misuse of social media.

A quick search finds some staggering statistics:

  • Cyber Bullying – About half of young people have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10 to 20 percent experience it regularly. And only about 1 in 10 children tells a parent if they have been a victim. *Source
  • Sexting – 39% of all teenagers have either sent or posted sexually suggestive messages and 20% have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves. *Source
  • Internet Predators – One in five teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet say they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. *Source
  • While these statistics are based on surveys and may not be 100% accurate, it is still apparent that these dangers are real and we need to pay attention to them. I’m hoping that through Cyber Safety Consulting and my blog, I can help keep our children safe.