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 […]
Yearly Archives: 2020
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 […]
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 […]